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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Execrable villain! and his poor young wife dying at the Hall of a broken heart.
From The Monctons A Novel: Volume 2 (of 2) by Moodie, Susanna
Execrable woman!" answered the Caliph; "cursed be the day thou gavest me birth!
From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 4 by Mabie, Hamilton Wright
This was the end of this Execrable wofull body of this miserable.
From Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson by Radisson, Pierre Esprit
Execrable, by the way, are the modern attempts seen side by side; feeble and incapable, not attempting any expression at all.
From Pickwickian Studies by Fitzgerald, Percy Hethrington
Execrable is the man, however arrayed in magnificence, crowned with wealth, or decorated with the external graces and accomplishments of fashionable life, who shall presume to display them at the expense of virtue and innocence.
From The Coquette The History of Eliza Wharton by Foster, Hannah Webster
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.
