detest
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Related Words
See hate.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of detest
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French detester, from Latin dētestārī “to call down a curse upon, loathe,” equivalent to dē- de- + testārī “to bear witness”; see testate
Explanation
If you detest something, you dislike it intensely. The word can apply to things and also to people. You might detest your ex-boyfriend and you might also detest rainy Mondays and broccoli. Detest comes from the Middle French word détester, meaning "to curse, to call God to witness and abhor." Though the words detest and hate are interchangeable, the word hate is much more common, which has caused it to lose some of its hateful impact. Detest is used more sparingly, reserved for cases where no other word will do, where your feelings of dislike are so powerful that they need just the right word to sum them up.
Vocabulary lists containing detest
Tears of a Tiger
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Stargirl
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List 1
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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.
Ethnic Persians are about half the population, and even those who detest the theocratic regime don’t want the country to break up or descend into civil war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
People detest her and Prince Harry for stepping back from their royal duties and even more so for going public about what life was like for them.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2025
“I detest it, the mere idea of it,” Freeman told Variety in a recent interview about “The Gray House,” a historical drama series about the work of Union spies during the Civil War.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2024
Not only do the Fremen detest colonizers mining their planet for spice and often attack them, the mining operation is also a dangerous activity in and of itself.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2024
“Our cook found them in the market and I wanted to serve them to you, although, frankly, I detest fungi. Try them, Ella.”
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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.
