Loathe

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈləʊð/
• GenAm IPA: /ˈloʊð/
• Rhymes: -əʊð

Origin

From Middle English lothe, from Old English lāþian. Cognate with Old Norse leiðask ( >

Danish ledes, Icelandic leiðast ) (all reflexive), German leiden.

Full definition of loathe

Verb

1. To hate, detest, revile.I loathe scrubbing toilets.I absolutely loathe hydrangeas.
• CowleyLoathing the honeyed cakes, I Ionged for bread.
• 1850, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portugese, Quick-loving hearts, I thought, may quickly loathe
• 2003, 13 Oct, This movie is a historical achievement: Clint Eastwood, an icon of violence, has made us loathe violence as an obscenity. “Mystic River” hurts the way sad stories always hurt, but the craft and love with which it has been made transfigure pain into a moviegoer’s rapture

Usage notes

Sometimes confused with the similarly-pronounced loath, a related adjective.

Synonyms

• hate
• detest

Derived terms

• loathing
• loathsome