loath

Or loth

[lohth, lohth]

adjective

1. unwilling; reluctant; disinclined; averse.

   to be loath to admit a mistake.

   Antonyms: eager

loath

/ ləʊθ /

adjective

1. (usually foll by to) reluctant or unwilling

2. willing

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of loath¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of loath¹

Old English lāth (in the sense: hostile); related to Old Norse leithr

Synonym Study

See reluctant.

Example Sentences

Israel, meanwhile, is loath to let up too soon on an enemy that has been decimated and fragmented into small groups by its advance.

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Tony Shalhoub is loath to compare his upcoming CNN series, “Breaking Bread,” to the travel food shows hosted by his frequent collaborator Stanley Tucci, who directed him in the gourmand classic “Big Night.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These opinions haven’t percolated through to the general public because business leaders are loath to express them in public, rather than anonymously.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As one ruling-coalition member of parliament recently described, Adams would be the rare U.S. ambassador with whom Malaysian politicians would be loath to pose for photos.

Read more on Salon

The two women received death threats, were loath to leave home even for groceries and had to go into hiding.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• afraid 
• hesitant 
• reluctant 
• unwilling 

When To Use

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.