hateful

[heyt-fuhl]

adjective

1. arousing hate or deserving to be hated.

   the hateful oppression of dictators.

   Synonyms: loathsome, invidious, repugnant, abhorrent, execrable, abominable
   Antonyms: praiseworthy, commendable, agreeable, likable

2. unpleasant; dislikable; distasteful.

   She found her domestic chores hateful.

3. full of or expressing hate malignant; malevolent.

   a hateful denunciatory speech.

hateful

/ ˈheɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. causing or deserving hate; loathsome; detestable

2. full of or showing hate

Other Word Forms

• hatefulness noun
• hatefully adverb
• unhateful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hateful¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; hate, -ful

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

But it’s fair to say that Reagan never indulged in outright name-calling or hateful invective, stressed his desire for negotiation over confrontation and left the nuclear saber-rattling to subordinates.

From Salon

Sir Keir emphasised the diplomatic move means Hamas can have "no future, no role in government, no role in security" and was the "exact opposite of their hateful vision".

From BBC

During his 2024 campaign, Mackenzie pitched himself as running in order to “break away from the hateful rhetoric and get things done.”

From Salon

Less than two weeks later, it has received more than 26 million views on TikTok and Instagram combined, generating fierce backlash against the company that created the bot as well as hateful attacks against Chaney.

From Los Angeles Times

And a lack of consensus too about how we can set apart the unpleasant, offensive, ugly and hateful things said online from those that are genuinely threatening or dangerous.

From BBC

Related Words

• abhorrent 
• bitter 
• despicable 
• disgusting 
• heinous 
• odious 
• ornery 
• repulsive 
• spiteful 
• vicious 
• vile