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abominable

[uh-bom-uh-nuh-buhl]
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adjective
  1. repugnantly hateful; detestable; loathsome: an abominable crime.
  2. very unpleasant; disagreeable: The weather was abominable last week.
  3. very bad, poor, or inferior: They have abominable taste in clothes.
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Origin of abominable

1325–75; Middle English < Latin abōminābilis, equivalent to abōminā(rī) to pray to avert an eventuality, despise as a bad omen, abhor (see ab-, omen) + -bilis -ble
Related formsa·bom·i·na·ble·ness, nouna·bom·i·na·bly, adverbsu·per·a·bom·i·na·ble, adjectivesu·per·a·bom·i·na·ble·ness, nounsu·per·a·bom·i·na·bly, adverb

Synonyms

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1. abhorrent, horrible, revolting, foul. 2. miserable.

Antonyms

1. likable, admirable. 2. delightful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

abhorrentwretchedterribleatrocioushorridvilereprehensibledisgustingodiousheinousrepugnantdespicablerepulsivehorribleawfulrevoltingcontemptiblebadbasebeastly

Examples from the Web for abominable

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • But it was of no use, and all this abominable work must be done over again.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • It is abominable, and it frees us from the promises we made.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • Is it not abominable, the way these schools of St. Cyr and the Paris military are run?

  • This kind of petty bribery is, of course, abominable, and should never be countenanced.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • Owing to the time of the year and to the abominable weather there were hardly any passengers.

    The Secret Agent

    Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for abominable

abominable

adjective
  1. offensive; loathsome; detestable
  2. informal very bad, unpleasant, or inferiorabominable weather; abominable workmanship
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Derived Formsabominably, adverb

Word Origin

C14: from Latin abōminābilis, from abōminārī to abominate
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 abominable

adj.

mid-14c., from Old French abominable (12c.) and directly from Late Latin abominabilis "deserving abhorrence," from stem of Latin abominari "deplore as an evil omen" (see abomination). Sometimes misdivided in earlier centuries as a bominable. Also often abhominable 14c.-17c. Related: Abominably.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper