definitions

detest

[ dih-test ]
/ dɪˈtɛst /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR detest ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to feel abhorrence of; hate; dislike intensely.

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RELATED WORDS

despise, abhor, loathe, repudiate, abominate, reject, execrate

Nearby words

determiner, determinism, deterrence, deterrent, detersive, detest, detestable, detestation, dethatch, dethrone, detick

Origin of detest

1525–35; < Middle French detester < Latin dētestārī to call down a curse upon, loathe, equivalent to dē- de- + testārī to bear witness; see testate

Related forms

de·test·er, nounun·de·test·ed, adjectiveun·de·test·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for detest

British Dictionary definitions for detest

detest

/ (dɪˈtɛst) /

verb

(tr) to dislike intensely; loathe

Derived Forms

detester, noun

Word Origin for detest

C16: from Latin dētestārī to curse (while invoking a god as witness), from de- + testārī to bear witness, from testis a witness
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