hatred
Americannoun
-
hatreds
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
The roots of hatred run deep in our country, and always lurk just beneath the surface.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Agyemang condemned the "hatred and violence that caused so much suffering" last year.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Citing the biblical book of Esther, in which a principled young woman surrounded by hatred for Jews asserts her identity to save her people, Ms. Horn makes it clear that we are at a crossroads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
She said this was "a hatred we must stand robustly against, and root out from its very foundations", which meant "taking on extremists and bearing down on those who seek to divide our communities".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Moose are large, and essentially insane with an almost pathological hatred of the dogs, the sled, the musher, trees, trains, cars, and everything else as near as I can figure.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
A fittingly Gothic flavor permeates these tales, which feature hauntings, hatreds and furtive passions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The inquiry has received thousands of submissions about the impact of "one of society's oldest hatreds", said the counsel assisting the inquiry, Zelie Hegen.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
A contradiction I’m sure you understand is that Australia is a country of many hatreds, but also a country of great love.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
"His hatreds are his spiritual nourishment," Moran wrote.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2025
The Mercury Theatre team deserved a medal for shining a warning light on the way European dictators like Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin used radio to “incite hatreds, inflame masses,...abolish reason and maintain themselves in power.”
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
