abhor

[ab-hawr]

verb (used with object)

abhorred, abhorring 

1. to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate.

   Synonyms: despise
   Antonyms: admire, love

abhor

/ əbˈhɔː /

verb

1. (tr) to detest vehemently; find repugnant; reject

Other Word Forms

• abhorrer noun
• superabhor verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of abhor¹

First recorded before 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin abhorrēre “to shrink back from, shudder at,” equivalent to ab- ab- + horrēre “to bristle, tremble”

Word History and Origins

Origin of abhor¹

C15: from Latin abhorrēre to shudder at, shrink from, from ab- away from + horrēre to bristle, shudder

Synonym Study

See hate.

Example Sentences

That, however, would require something Generation Z abhors: boredom.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Nature abhors a vacuum and markets aren’t all that keen on it either.

Read more on Barron's

“We abhor and condemn antisemitism in any form,” the California Teachers Assn., wrote in a July letter to the state Senate Education Committee.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It is an astonishing, so to speak, over-the-top score, which you either love or abhor for its instrumental vulgarity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Political junkies, and the news outlets that service their needs, abhor a vacuum.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• despise 
• detest 
• hate 
• loathe 
• scorn