dislike
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
Dislike, disgust, distaste, repugnance imply antipathy toward something. Dislike is a general word, sometimes connoting an inherent or permanent feeling of antipathy for something: to have a dislike for crowds. Disgust connotes a feeling of loathing for what is offensive to the feelings and sensibilities: He felt disgust at seeing such ostentation. Distaste implies a more or less settled dislike: to have distaste for spicy foods, for hard work. Repugnance is a strong feeling of aversion for, and antagonism toward, something: to feel repugnance for (or toward ) low criminals.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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predislikenoun
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self-dislikenoun
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dislikableadjective
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dislikeableadjective
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self-dislikedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dislikesimple
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dislikessimple
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have dislikedperfect
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has dislikedperfect
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am dislikingprogressive
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are dislikingprogressive
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is dislikingprogressive
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have been dislikingperfect progressive
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has been dislikingperfect progressive
Past
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dislikedsimple
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had dislikedperfect
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was dislikingprogressive
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were dislikingprogressive
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had been dislikingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dislike
Explanation
Put simply, to dislike can be used as a transitive verb that means to "not like." Maybe you dislike spinach. But it can also be a noun, as in "You seem to have developed quite a dislike for spinach." English being a language of trial-and-error, the word dislike came about in the mid-16th Century, as modern English was still in its infancy. At that time, some words were tried and discarded, to be replaced with others that stuck. That was the case with dislike, which developed after the word "mislike" was dropped as the opposite of "like." Speaking of prefixes, don't confuse the word dislike with "unlike," which means that something is different from something else.
Vocabulary lists containing dislike
Power Prefix: dis-
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dis-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: dis-
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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.
See Examples For:
Above them all is Bill Nighy’s controlling Director, whom you are free to dislike even though it’s Bill Nighy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Andy Burnham happened to offer the right political brand at a time when voters dislike most lawmakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
"I've heard that in some countries, people have been told natto is good for their health, so they force themselves to eat it even though they strongly dislike the taste," Noro said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
This was not the first game where boos have been at the hydration break, and the wave of dislike for them among fans appears to be gathering momentum.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Bobby fully expected to hate the camp—or at least dislike it—but he found that he enjoyed many of the physical activities it offered.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
James Piper, co-host of the Talking Rubbish podcast, co-owner of Ecosurety, said he dislikes BuzzBallz because of how difficult they are to recycle.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
She said there are few foods she dislikes but she is especially fond of steak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Maybe he just really dislikes the entire program and wasn’t targeting Haitians in particular.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Because you can’t read its reactions, it’s impossible to sense what kind of shots it dislikes or struggles with, and that makes it even more difficult to play against,” Taira said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
For someone who actively dislikes bodily fluids, I throw up quite a lot.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
He denied intentionally dodging taxes or breaking the law, testifying that he disliked handling tax and other financial matters, so he relied on office managers and accountants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He reportedly disliked the constant and later referred to it as his "biggest blunder."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
Juan Mata, a World Cup winner with Spain in 2010, said he would have disliked a three-minute break in each half when he was playing.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
He was 73 and had disliked running young horses in a pressure race such as the Derby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
It was as if her believing in his writing made it real, and he showed his gratitude by attending the parties he disliked.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
When the bubble is big enough, it shifts the behavior of the market as a whole from disliking capital expenditure, and hating speculative capital spending in particular, to loving it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
Some readers confessed to never having seen the film whose soundtrack they love; others even reported disliking it.
From New York Times ● May 26, 2024
“This idea of disliking your boss and hating your job is as old as time,” Anicich said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
Despite apparently disliking one another, the pair have a son together, Neil "the Baby" Noel Edmond Smith.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2024
"I have a lot of reasons for disliking Alaska, OK?"
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
