abomination
Americannoun
-
abominations
plural
-
anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred.
-
intense aversion or loathing; detestation.
He regarded lying with abomination.
- Synonyms:
- hatred
-
a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc..
Spitting in public is an abomination.
- Synonyms:
- depravity, corruption
noun
-
a person or thing that is disgusting
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an action that is vicious, vile, etc
-
intense loathing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of abomination
1350–1400; Middle English ab ( h ) ominacioun < Late Latin abōminātiōn- (stem of abōminātiō ). See abominate, -ion
Explanation
The noun abomination means a thing or action that is vile, vicious or terrible. For example, if you see a neighbor kick an old blind dog that's done nothing wrong, you might remark, "That kind of cruelty is an abomination!" The word abomination comes from the Old French word abominacion, meaning "horror, repugnance, disgust." The word abomination can also be used to refer to a person or object you find utterly loathsome and repellent. If you look at someone else as an abomination, that means you are horrified by them, and barely even think they're human. If you hear a friend describing you as an abomination behind your back, you need to find a new buddy right away!
Vocabulary lists containing abomination
Things Fall Apart
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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.
See Examples For:
Roberts said the prime minister was "clearly a good communicator but it had only been one week" - although she said his tea-making skills were an "abomination".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
"I love Harry but the prices for this tour are an actual abomination," wrote one on X.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
For anyone who has seen this abomination up close, the conclusion is unbearable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
“People who collect patterned glass think this is an abomination because it’s not in its original state. That’s ridiculous. I love it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
“But don’t worry. We can talk properly after we deliver that abomination to Father Olufemi.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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Over the decades, they have produced classics such as “Exile on Main St.” and “Some Girls,” mediocrity like “Steel Wheels,” and abominations such as “Dirty Work.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
But even before the balance goes unrespected, the team behind “The Substance” elevated the beauty of its stars to make their mutual descent into frightful abominations all the more jarring.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2025
Inside the church, services are held as abominations are uncovered outside.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2022
But symbols matter, and toppling a statue is often a powerful statement: the end of a regime or an empire, or simply of averting the community’s gaze from atrocities and abominations perpetrated by the subject.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2021
They must remain hidden, and give the humans no hint that they were here, or that, unthinkably, five abominations had survived the Carnage and eked out an existence here for fifteen years.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.