definitions

detestable

[ dih-tes-tuh-buhl ]
/ dɪˈtɛs tə bəl /
||
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adjective

deserving to be detested; abominable; hateful.

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RELATED WORDS

abhorrent, accursed, atrocious, awful, despicable, disgusting, execrable, gross, hateful, heinous, lousy, maggot, monstrous, obnoxious, odious, offensive, outrageous, repugnant, repulsive, revolting

Nearby words

deterministic, deterrence, deterrent, detersive, detest, detestable, detestation, dethatch, dethrone, detick, detinue

Origin of detestable

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin dētestābilis, equivalent to dētest(ārī) to detest + -ābilis -able
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for detestable

British Dictionary definitions for detestable

detestable

/ (dɪˈtɛstəbəl) /

adjective

being or deserving to be abhorred or detested; abominable; odious
Derived Formsdetestability or detestableness, noundetestably, adverb
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

detestable

adj.

early 15c., from Middle French détestable (14c.), from Latin detestabilis "execrable, abominable," from detestari (see detest). Related: Detestably.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper