Dictionary.com

detest

[ dih-test ]
/ dɪˈtɛst /
See synonyms for: detest / detested on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to feel abhorrence of; hate; dislike intensely.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of detest

First recorded in1525–35; from Middle French detester, from Latin dētestārī “to call down a curse upon, loathe,” equivalent to dē-de- + testārī “to bear witness”; see testate

synonym study for detest

See hate.

OTHER WORDS FROM detest

de·test·er, nounun·de·test·ed, adjectiveun·de·test·ing, adjective

Words nearby detest

determinism, deterministic, deterrence, deterrent, detersive, detest, detestable, detestation, dethatch, dethrone, detick
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to detest

despise, abhor, loathe, repudiate, abominate, reject, execrate, down on, have no use for

Example sentences from the Web for detest

British Dictionary definitions for detest

detest
/ (dɪˈtɛst) /

verb

(tr) to dislike intensely; loathe

Derived forms of detest

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