abhorrent
Americanadjective
-
causing repugnance; detestable; loathsome.
an abhorrent deed.
- Synonyms:
- abominable, shocking
-
utterly opposed, or contrary, or in conflict (usually followed byto ).
abhorrent to reason.
-
feeling extreme repugnance or aversion (usually followed byof ).
abhorrent of waste.
-
remote in character (usually followed byfrom ).
abhorrent from the principles of law.
adjective
-
repugnant; loathsome
-
feeling extreme aversion or loathing (for)
abhorrent of vulgarity
-
conflicting (with)
abhorrent to common sense
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abhorrent
First recorded in 1610–20, abhorrent is from the Latin word abhorrent- (stem of abhorrēns, present participle of abhorrēre ). See abhor, -ent
Explanation
Many people find cruelty toward animals abhorrent, that is, they think it's detestable, obscene, repugnant, repulsive, and offensive to the mind. In other words, they really, really don't like it. When you think of abhorrent, think of horror, as in something so vile and loathsome that you can only react to it in horror. In fact, the word abhorrent in Latin means “to recoil (back away) in horror.” Note that the ending is spelled -ent with an e, not an a. Maybe the a found abhorrent so abhorrent that it didn’t want to appear in it a second time.
Vocabulary lists containing abhorrent
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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.
Everyone agreed the tree looked abhorrent and it was removed later that day.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
Freedman blasted the motion as “one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
“We must also be very clear that any response to these abhorrent attacks that curtails our civil liberties would be wrong,” said Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
"Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears," Sir Keir said.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Apartheid is, in my view, as abhorrent as anti- Semitism.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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.
