execrable
Americanadjective
-
utterly detestable; abominable; abhorrent.
-
very bad.
an execrable stage performance.
adjective
-
deserving to be execrated; abhorrent
-
of very poor quality
an execrable meal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of execrable
1350–1400 for earlier sense “expressing a curse”; 1480–90 execrable for def. 1; Middle English < Latin ex ( s ) ecrābilis accursed, detestable. See execrate, -able
Explanation
If something's execrable it's really and truly, unbelievably, absolutely the worst. Execrable is often used as a harshly critical term in the arts, when a reviewer really wants to throw the book at something. Not surprisingly, the word comes from a Latin word meaning "to utter a curse; to hate or abhor." Tough words for bad art. Perhaps part of the power and nastiness of execrable lies in the word's similarity to excrement — but that's a vocabulary word we're not touching in this entry!
Vocabulary lists containing execrable
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"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I almost feel bad for him trying so pathetically to defend such an execrable entity like the Iranian regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
He was angry that they weren't clapping for the "astronomical achievements" he has not actually accomplished, failing to recognize that they were not clapping or standing for the execrable achievements he has.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025
The two dominant issues are rampant crime and execrable public schools.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2023
Since becoming team president in the 2013-14 season, Jeanie Buss and her hand-picked executive brain trust have compiled an execrable 287-427 record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2022
“Within perhaps a week,” recalled a student, “there was on the blackboard in Robert Oppenheimer’s office a drawing—a very bad, an execrable drawing—of a bomb.”
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
