hateful
Americanadjective
-
arousing hate or deserving to be hated.
the hateful oppression of dictators.
- Antonyms:
- praiseworthy, commendable, agreeable, likable
-
unpleasant; dislikable; distasteful.
She found her domestic chores hateful.
-
full of or expressing hate malignant; malevolent.
a hateful denunciatory speech.
adjective
-
causing or deserving hate; loathsome; detestable
-
full of or showing hate
Synonym Usage
Hateful, obnoxious, odious, offensive refer to something that causes strong dislike or annoyance. Hateful implies actually causing hatred or extremely strong dislike: The sight of him is hateful to me. Obnoxious emphasizes causing annoyance or discomfort by objectionable qualities: His persistence made him seem obnoxious. His piggish manners made him obnoxious to his companions. Odious emphasizes the disagreeable or displeasing: an odious little man; odious servility. Offensive emphasizes the distaste and resentment caused by something that may be either displeasing or insulting: an offensive odor, remark.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hateful
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at hate, -ful
Explanation
Anything hateful has something to do with strong feelings of dislike, whether it's saying something hateful about a person you despise or the hateful practices of a country's oppressive government. Use the adjective hateful for things that deserve hatred (like racist speech or injustice) or are full of hatred (like the hateful things you mutter about your brother under your breath). We can trace hateful back to the Old English hete, "hatred, spite, or malice." Its earliest meaning was simply "full of hate," and by the late 1500s the definition expanded to "exciting hate."
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.
Prevent was set up 20 years ago to try to identify future potential terrorists and intervene in their lives, often by challenging hateful ideologies such as far right extremism or support for jihadist violence.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The commission will also look at social media's "gaps and weaknesses in the detection and removal of hateful content in a timely manner", Lancaster said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
When he did so, he recalled, some Jews thanked him, some said their children were delighted but they weren’t, and some said hateful things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
“If they’re going to be saying hateful things, what’s coming next?”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
“Loma’s so hateful sometimes I’m sorry to have to claim her. But you don’t make her no nicer by outsmartin’ her ever few days or makin’ fun of her.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
