detest
Americanverb (used with object)
-
detests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detested,
past participle, past
-
detesting
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See hate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
detestsimple
-
detestssimple
-
have detestedperfect
-
has detestedperfect
-
am detestingprogressive
-
are detestingprogressive
-
is detestingprogressive
-
have been detestingperfect progressive
-
has been detestingperfect progressive
Past
-
detestedsimple
-
had detestedperfect
-
was detestingprogressive
-
were detestingprogressive
-
had been detestingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
His exile to the archives provided him with the arsenal of ammunition he used against the system he came to detest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026
She wants revenge without dwelling on its cause or her trauma — a word Hester would surely detest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
So can a bridge be built between those who detest the love locks, and those who want them to stay in Bakewell?
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
I ‘abjure, curse and detest my errors,’ he said.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Mensah is a maternal figure who insists that Murderbot show its human face, although the cyborg detests eye contact.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
Beijing detests Lai, whom it believes is a separatist.
From Reuters ● Oct. 23, 2023
This, in a sport that absolutely detests nuance.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2023
Those who know him well say he detests opposition.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2023
How she changes her look almost daily—how she detests the idea of choosing one royal appearance for life.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
She detested the East Coast avatars of apocalypse, like Nathanael West, who saw only doom and gloom in sunny L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
A boisterous protest greeted fans arriving at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, with demonstrators waving the pre-revolutionary flag detested by the leaders of the Islamic republic.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Both parties found voters on the doorsteps who disliked the government and detested the prime minister.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
The U.S. could soon have the “universally detested Temu Greyhound of the Skies.”
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
Their alternative—there was an alternative, of course, since Milo detested coercion and was a vocal champion of freedom of choice—was to starve.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Also detesting the invasion is Maria Yumasheva, the 19-year-old daughter of Russian real estate developer Valentin Yumashev and his wife Tatyana Borisovna.
From Fox News ● Mar. 5, 2022
The former Liga MX star wasn’t shy about detesting powerhouse Tigres UANL.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 13, 2021
A reader called me out on it, saying that there’s a difference between disagreeing with a position and detesting a person.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2021
Fearing the power of the Huguenots and detesting their faith, the Guises created the Catholic League, an armed militia of Catholics that included armed monks, townsfolk, and soldiers.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
In this hatred he confused the innocent with the guilty, detesting all the great nobles and taking a delight in humbling any of them he did not exile.
From The Memoirs of Madame Vigée Lebrun by Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
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.
