abomination

American  

[uh-bom-uh-ney-shuhn] / əˌbɒm əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• abominations
  plural

1. anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred.

2. intense aversion or loathing; detestation.

   He regarded lying with abomination.

   Synonyms:

   hatred

3. a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc..

   Spitting in public is an abomination.

   Synonyms:

   depravity, corruption

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abomination British  

/ əˌbɒmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. a person or thing that is disgusting

2. an action that is vicious, vile, etc

3. intense loathing

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-abomination
  noun
• superabomination
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• abominations
  plural

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

abomination abominations

And this VAR abomination we’ve all now been introduced to?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

“The texture is an abomination: gluey, with rubbery, chewy pockets.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

After all, the abomination living under Derry pre-dates the town’s founding.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2025

Their defending has been such an abomination that Celtic, with no dependable striker but with a point to prove, could potentially run amok.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025

She found her house a stable of filth and abomination and she set to cleaning it with the violence and disgust of a Hercules at labor.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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

Target’s collection, on the other hand, is one of the most ghastly sartorial abominations ever made, let alone sold for real money.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026

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

“We are well rid of her, then. I will not suffer such abominations here. This is not King’s Landing.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin