detestable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
The idea of Guy’s killing Bruno’s detestable father in return is merely a dramatic device to show how remorselessly Guy is drawn down into the dark coils of the conspiracy, against his better self.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"Knowing the vulgarity of the old world, today I try to avoid being listened to by the new world – so that I don't come across as detestable," he told the court.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2025
Most significantly, it overturned a New York minimum wage law in a decision known as Tipaldo, after its detestable protagonist, the owner of a laundry who had been cheating his laundresses of their legal wages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
Jabba, in all his hulking space worminess, was far more detestable.
From Salon ● May 4, 2024
“What is detestable in a pig is more detestable in a boy.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
