detest
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See hate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have detestedperfect
-
has detestedperfect 3rd person singular
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are detestingprogressive
-
is detestingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been detestingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am detestingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been detestingperfect progressive
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detestssingular 3rd person
-
detestingparticiple
Past
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had detestedperfect
-
was detestingprogressive singular
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had been detestingperfect progressive
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were detestingprogressive plural
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detestedparticiple
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detestedsimple
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.
Among the attributes of Lena Dunham that her detractors detest is the quality of her voice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 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
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
His detractors are loathe to admit this because they would then have to admit that they too are oddly compelled towards him even as they detest him.
From Salon • Feb. 9, 2024
When called upon, I delivered an effortless list of things that I detest: blood sausage, intestinal pates, brain pudding, I’d learned these words the hard way.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
