detestable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- detestability noun
- detestableness noun
- detestably adverb
- undetestability noun
- undetestable adjective
- undetestableness noun
- undetestably adverb
Etymology
Origin of detestable
1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin dētestābilis, equivalent to dētest ( ārī ) to detest + -ābilis -able
Explanation
Anything that's so hateful or disgusting that you can't bear to think about it is detestable. Many little kids find all green vegetables to be utterly detestable. It's pretty common for people to find hate speech detestable, as well as stepping on slugs in bare feet and the pungent smell of garbage. The verb detest means "hate" or "strongly dislike," and the adjective detestable brings in an element of disgust or offensiveness. The Latin root, detestabilis, means "abominable," from detestari, "curse or express abhorrence for."
Vocabulary lists containing detestable
Romeo and Juliet
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Negative Words to Describe a Person
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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.
Decades of lionizing men like Nile Jarvis have made his detestable personality not just easy to spot, but queasily appealing.
From Salon • Nov. 19, 2025
After Charles' execution in 1649, England's Crown Jewels were melted down or sold on the orders of the republican revolutionary Oliver Cromwell as representative of the "detestable rule of kings".
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2023
Would they think that the detestable bugs had started to infest their apartments?
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2023
“All right, understandable. Is it a detestable act? Yes. You don’t have to like him. You can hate him. But he is sick.”
From Washington Post • Feb. 11, 2023
Mama literally dragged me to this detestable cooking club because she thinks I’m not old enough to stay home alone.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
