loathe
Americanverb (used with object)
-
loathes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
loathed,
past participle, past
-
loathing
present participle
verb
Usage
What’s the difference between loathe and loath? 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. Loath is an adjective that means unwilling, reluctant, or disinclined, as in They are loath to get involved in such a messy situation. 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 loathe and loath.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
loathesimple
-
loathessimple
-
have loathedperfect
-
has loathedperfect
-
am loathingprogressive
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are loathingprogressive
-
is loathingprogressive
-
have been loathingperfect progressive
-
has been loathingperfect progressive
Past
-
loathedsimple
-
had loathedperfect
-
was loathingprogressive
-
were loathingprogressive
-
had been loathingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of loathe
First recorded before 900; Middle English loth(i)en, lath(i)en, Old English lāthian, derivative of lāth loath
Explanation
If you loathe someone or something, you hate them very much. You might not choose to eat raw carrots if you dislike them, but if you loathe them, you might have a hard time even having them on your plate. This word suggests a strong feeling of disgust. Near synonyms are abhor and detest. The verb loathe descends from Middle English lothen, from Old English lāthian. The related adjective loathsome means "hateful or disgusting," and the adjective loath means "not willing to do something," as in "I'm loath to cheat on a test, but I don't see what choice I have."
Vocabulary lists containing loathe
List 1
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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The Westing Game
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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 Vances, however, can’t seem to shake off suspicions that they loathe each other, no matter how many smiles they flash at the camera.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Pratt’s loudest fans loathe modern-day L.A., and that should chill all other Angelenos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
“They’re loathe to really critique some of the foundational problems like a real ideological opponent would.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Like him or loathe him, Viktor Orbán was one of a handful of leaders who consistently punched above his weight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
My questions lead to more questions, most urgently how becoming the leader of an Empire I loathe can possibly result in my attaining “true freedom—of body and of soul.”
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Whether one loves them or loathes them, the ubiquitous Big Mac burger is pretty much identical the whole world over.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
As a feminist who loathes the idea of toxic masculinity, I’ve worked to understand what is going on with the sexes these days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
"Head coach Eddie Howe loathes to lose long-serving players in January, but this could yet be one to watch if Newcastle sense an opportunity to sign a summer target a few months early."
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2026
But “Battle” draws crisp, unmistakable lines, I think because Anderson loathes Lockjaw most of all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
“Only that he loathes school and wishes to come home.”
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
This included posting a tweet featuring the slogan "Get Brexit Done" in Comic Sans, a font loathed by graphic designers.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The controversies have coincided with the drop in Reform polling support and in popularity for Farage, long a divisive figure loved and loathed in largely equal measure.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
If there’s one constant in this country besides death and taxes, it’s how quickly descendants of immigrants, and sometimes immigrants themselves, forget how loathed their ethnic group was and how they proved the haters wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The jingle first aired in the 1990s and has been loved and loathed by listeners ever since.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
There was no idea as yet of the radiant gods of Olympus who would have loathed the hateful sacrifice.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The loathing for the parties doesn’t just come from the high-profile national campaigns.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
He seems to have felt instant solidarity with his brothers and loathing for his bosses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Michael Jackson is a prime example of this conundrumFor his millions of devotees their love for him is rivalled in intensity only by their seething loathing for his critics.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
For more than two decades, attorney Robert Silverstein struck fear — and in some cases, loathing — in Hollywood’s real estate establishment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
By the unforgiving calculus of relations between distant fathers and resentful sons, that was reason enough for Shin’s loathing.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
