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

Briloff would say that markets abhor uncertainty, and less frequent reporting only adds more.

Read more on Barron's

By the late-19th century, “Grub Street” had become a generic term for ambitious, worldly—and mostly talentless—writers, everything the classicist Gissing abhorred.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While he abhors actors who think “mumbling is interesting,” he doesn’t overwhelm younger actors who ask for advice with too much detail.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I disagree with—and even abhor—things that Nick Fuentes says, but canceling him is not the answer either,” Mr. Roberts said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• despise 
• detest 
• hate 
• loathe 
• scorn