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
-
had detestedperfect
-
was detestingprogressive singular
-
had been detestingperfect progressive
-
were detestingprogressive plural
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detestedparticiple
-
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.
Some musicians have said they detest AI music, but casual listeners may not care how a track is made if they find it catchy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
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
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
"You do enjoy it, but you also detest and loathe it sometimes because it takes away from the life you want to live," he said.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2024
The Fundamentalists required no new reason to detest robots and robot manufacturers; but a new reason such as the Quinn accusation and the Calvin analysis was sufficient to make such detestation audible.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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.
