detestable
[dih-tes-tuh-buhl]
- deserving to be detested; abominable; hateful.
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Origin of detestable
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
abhorrentaccursedatrociousawfuldespicabledisgustingexecrablegrosshatefulheinouslousymaggotmonstrousobnoxiousodiousoffensiveoutrageousrepugnantrepulsiverevoltingExamples from the Web for detestable
Contemporary Examples
That much of this division falls along racial lines is detestable to me.
Journey to the End of the Night does not offer readers much more than nihilism as a response to a detestable world.
Historical Examples
I am of opinion that pumping a leaky ship is the most detestable work in the world.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
The man must have been a detestable hypocrite, I think, had he not shown his vexation.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
Kill me if thou wilt, detestable Huron; I will go no further.
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
The rest of this detestable thought was expressed by a hideous smile.
The Black TulipAlexandre Dumas (Pere)
She was blameless, of course, but he was detestable beyond all count.
The Tenant of Wildfell HallAnne Bronte
detestable
- being or deserving to be abhorred or detested; abominable; odious
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for detestable
adj.
early 15c., from Middle French détestable (14c.), from Latin detestabilis "execrable, abominable," from detestari (see detest). Related: Detestably.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper