hatred
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hatred
Explanation
The noun hatred means to feel a strong emotional dislike toward something or someone. You feel hatred of people who have done terrible things to you, or books about too-perfect teens. Hatred comes from Old English hete, which means "hate," plus the suffix red (ræden), which means "the condition of." If you find after twenty years of marriage you no longer like your husband, you may be able to work it out. If you feel hatred towards him, your differences may be irreconcilable.
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.
Instead, hatred often arrives through a social media algorithm.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that his government was doing "everything in our power to stamp this hatred out" and would strengthen security.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
In an interview on Sunday morning, Trump called the suspect a “sick guy” with “a lot of hatred in his heart” especially towards Christians.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
"Political hatred has no place in our democracies. We will not allow fanaticism to poison the spaces of free debate and information," she said.
From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026
She hated all Trojans, of course; she never forgot the judgment of Paris and she had been Troy’s bitterest enemy during the war, but she felt an especial hatred for Aeneas.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
