DETESTABLE Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

detestable

adjective

di-ˈte-stə-bəl

Definition of detestable

as in vile

not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency the detestable actions of a nasty little man

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of detestable No matter how detestable the overthrown governments may be, precedents show that regime changes lead neither to democracy nor to peace, but to chaos, civil war and dictatorship. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026 Naturally, after Mary is taken hostage by Ronald’s detestable rival Jeff, the physical prowess that had eluded him all movie emerges in his time of need. — Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024 But a wave of summer shows were canceled in response, with conservative leader Kemi Badenoch—a uniquely detestable political figure in a country that perfected the form—calling on Glastonbury to remove the band from this year’s bill. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 28 May 2025 Soon after he was elected, the Half Moon Bay shooting occurred in January 2023, killing eight farmworkers and exposing detestable housing conditions for the county’s immigrant farmworkers. — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for detestable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detestable

Adjective

Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
That person is referring to heavyweight Josh Hokit, who is facing widespread backlash for making a vile joke about former first lady Michelle Obama after winning his match over Derrick Lewis.

— Martha Ross, Mercury News, 15 June 2026

Definition of vile

Adjective

Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 25 June 2026
These monsters—its antitheses—constitute that part of our nature that urges us to be sensible and strong, and that inclines us to see the life drive as trivial, weak, sentimental and immoral.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026

Definition of immoral

Adjective

Or stands proudly athwart a county that has long demonized it as too dirty, too crime-ridden — in other words, too Latino.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
At the center sits a giant mound of dirty work clothes, and hidden speakers play a nonstop whisper of the laborers’ names.

— Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.

— Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 July 2026
Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died.

— Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Most people in the anglosphere don’t follow this region, and those who do get their opinions from a small number of people with a contemptible worldview.

— Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2026
Your death was preventable, unjust, tragic, and contemptible; utterly contemptible.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of contemptible

Adjective

On the Approval Matrix, on this particular night, The Bear is smack in the middle of highbrow and lowbrow, and fully on the side of brilliant, with no hints of the despicable.

— Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Judge calls Heuermann ‘despicable’ As a series of victims’ kin spoke, Heuermann sat with his hands on the defense table, looking straight ahead and lightly tapping his fingers.

— Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026

Definition of despicable

Browse Nearby Words

detest

detestable

detestableness

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“Detestable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detestable. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of detestable

adjective

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