loath

American  

[lohth, lohth] / loʊθ, loʊð /

Or loth

adjective

1. unwilling; reluctant; disinclined; averse.

   to be loath to admit a mistake.

   Antonyms:

   eager

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loath British  

/ ləʊθ /

adjective

1. (usually foll by to) reluctant or unwilling

2. willing

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Usage

What’s the difference between loath and loathe? Loath is an adjective that means unwilling, reluctant, or disinclined, as in They are loath to get involved in such a messy situation. Loathe is a verb that means to hate or feel extreme disgust toward, as in I loathe the way he treats his dog or My kids loathe broccoli.  Loathe always rhymes with the verb clothe. Loath can be pronounced this way, but it can also rhyme with both. Loath is only ever used as an adjective, and loathe is only ever used as a verb. Both words are generally negative, but loathe is much more negative. Loathe is also the more common of the two words. The word loathsome is an adjective form of the verb loathe that means causing feelings of loathing—disgusting or revolting. You would describe someone you loathe as loathsome. Loath is usually followed by the word to and a verb, as in I’m loath to drive that far. To remember that the verb loathe ends with an e, remember that it means the same thing as hate, which also ends with an e. Here’s an example of loath and loathe used correctly in a sentence. Example: I’m loath to think about how much he must loathe me. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between loath and loathe.

Synonym Usage

See reluctant.

Other Word Forms

• loathness
  noun
• overloath
  adjective
• unloath
  adjective
• unloathly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of loath

First recorded before 900; Middle English loth, lath, Old English lāth “hostile, hateful”; cognate with Dutch leed, German leid “sorry,” Old Norse leithr “hateful”

Explanation

If you are loath to do something, you really don't want to do it. If you are reluctant to go swimming, people will say you are loath to swim — but if they are really mean, they might throw you in the pool anyway. The adjective loath is used to describe being extremely opposed to something. The term is generally followed by to — "The teacher was loath to let the students turn in papers late, but he made an exception for the girl who had missed class due to illness."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loath

The U.S. is adding the fewest new jobs on record during an economic expansion, but businesses are also loath to remove people from their payrolls.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

I am loath to disclaim the power that comes with symbols such as the flag, words such as freedom, and the attachments that adhere to foundational inheritances such as, yes, the Constitution.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

And we definitely didn’t want to lose the one nonbinary character in the show — a terrible trope we were loath to fuel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

Gen. Sherman Miles, chief of America’s Military Intelligence Division in 1941, later called prewar America a “country loath to admit the danger it faced.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

I am loath to think it, and indeed it would be almost as great a marvel as the other to find that Van Helsing was mad; but anyhow I shall watch him carefully.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Related Words

• afraid
• hesitant
• reluctant
• unwilling