abhor

[ab-hawr]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abhor ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ab·horred, ab·hor·ring.

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

Origin of abhor

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin abhorrēre to shrink back from, shudder at, equivalent to ab- ab- + horrēre to bristle, tremble

Related formsab·hor·rer, nounsu·per·ab·hor, verb (used with object), su·per·ab·horred, su·per·ab·hor·ring.un·ab·horred, adjective

Synonyms for abhor

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abhor ON THESAURUS.COM

despise. See hate.

Antonyms for abhor

love, admire.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for abhor

scorn, despise, detest, hate, loathe, abominate

Examples from the Web for abhor

Contemporary Examples of abhor

I rarely mention Hamas without saying that I abhor its values.
What Shmuley Boteach Doesn't Understand
Peter Beinart
June 14, 2013
Liberals are supposed to abhor that sort of thing and find less loaded terms where they can.
‘Neoconservative’ Needs to Be Retired. Why Not Try ‘Imperialist’?
Peter Beinart
June 5, 2013
I abhor the Hamas charter with its anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist, anti-Western, anti-democratic call for a Judenrein Palestine.
Sheltered In Jerusalem
Gil Troy
November 17, 2012
They claim worshipping at graves and shrines is un-Islamic and idolatrous and abhor the Sufi use of music and dance.
Ultraconservative Salafists Destroy Sufi Landmarks in Libya
Jamie Dettmer
September 4, 2012
With the Kadima coalition, Netanyahu could successfully support an agreement his right wing supporters might abhor.
Come Clean, Mr. Prime Minister
Stephen Robert
June 1, 2012

Historical Examples of abhor

It is only for being what is called by that name that I abhor him.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
I should abhor these clandestine correspondences, were they not forced upon me.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
I did abhor those that were in the plot and conspiracy against the King.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment
Rafael Sabatini
For how can they who commit crimes be in good amity with those that abhor them?
The Memorable Thoughts of Socrates
Xenophon
Is there one among us who approves of the treachery you abhor?'
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 2, August, 1863
Various

British Dictionary definitions for abhor

abhor

verb -hors, -horring or -horred

(tr) to detest vehemently; find repugnant; reject

Derived Formsabhorrer, noun

Word Origin for abhor

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abhor

mid-15c., from Latin abhorrere "shrink back from, have an aversion for, shudder at," from ab- "away" (see ab-) + horrere "tremble at, shudder," literally "to bristle, be shaggy," from PIE *ghers- "start out, stand out, rise to a point, bristle" (see horror). Related: Abhorred; abhorring.