hateful

American  

[heyt-fuhl] / ˈheɪt fəl /

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.

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hateful British  

/ ˈheɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. causing or deserving hate; loathsome; detestable

2. full of or showing hate

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Related Words

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

• hatefully adverb
• hatefulness noun
• unhateful adjective

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

Two major Islamic bodies, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Al-Azhar, issued statements that deplored the hateful rhetoric — but without making clear who had used it.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

“Campy, openly and equally hateful and opportunistic, and above all, shameless.”

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026

They said the watchdog's online safety rules require tech firms to tackle illegal content and protect children from harmful material - including abusive or hateful content.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

Coventry said at a news conference last week that the IOC has a safeguarding unit that monitors the organization’s social media platforms for hateful messages.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

I wanted Americans to understand that words matter—that the hateful language they heard coming from their TVs did not reflect the true spirit of our country and that we could vote against it.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

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