loathing 1 of 3

noun

ˈlō-t͟hiŋ How to pronounce loathing (audio)
Definition of loathingnext
1
as in disgust
a dislike so strong as to cause stomach upset or queasiness the sight of his mortal enemy getting that undeserved promotion filled him with loathing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hatred
a very strong dislike I have an uncompromising loathing for anyone who would deliberately harm an animal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

loathing

2 of 3

adjective

as in hateful

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

loathing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of loathe
as in hating
to dislike strongly I simply loathe tapioca pudding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 loathing
Noun
What Natalie does seem driven by—more than faith, more than redirected ambition—is her instinctual loathing of other women. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026 Factually, Victor Wembanyama could have sent New York Knicks fans into fits of loathing. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Verb
That still is win-now basketball, which is all the lottery-loathing Heat continue to preach. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2026 Lori will turn out to harbor some personal reasons for loathing Julian, but there are plenty of general reasons to resent him too. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for loathing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loathing
  1. disgust
  2. hatred
  3. hateful
  4. hating
  5. distaste
  6. contemptuous
  7. scornful
Noun
  • Most fishermen confine their angling to early morning and late evening, and the pike fishermen of early spring have given up in disgust.
    — Jack G. Mell, Outdoor Life, 2 July 2026
  • Mbappé hit a post in the 32nd minute, raising both hands in disgust, and France nearly went ahead four minutes later on Olise's spectacular bicycle kick from just inside the penalty area, which also clanked off a post.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of disgust
Noun
  • The rivalry between the neighboring nations stretches back over 100 years on the pitch without ever being one that has slipped into hatred.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Proof that the babies aren’t born with hatred in their bellies and in their blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of hatred
Adjective
  • Social media sites used for hateful comments Pumphrey made threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube and other social media sites, according to the guilty plea.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • Political podcasters such as Tucker Carlson peddle conspiracies and lies, and there seems to be little consequence for hateful rhetoric.
    — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2026
Definition of hateful
Verb
  • Being mad at the rich or hating the rich is not a crime.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
  • The America 250-hating libs are SEETHING today.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026
Definition of hating
Noun
  • There is no national mood, just a mélange of anomie, distaste, and derangement.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 5 July 2026
  • His distaste for the wealthy is not an uncommon feeling in the country, his defense argued.
    — Sierra Van Der Brug, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2026
Definition of distaste
Adjective
  • The man didn’t catch Serena’s contemptuous expression, however, too busy peeling bills from a money clip and pressing them into his date’s hand.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
  • The fantasy of transforming a cold or contemptuous man through the sheer force of one’s love has caused real harm, and the critique of it is warranted.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
Definition of contemptuous
Adjective
  • Tribunals have been appointed, and Coriolanus’ scornful elitism strikes them as too heavy a price for his military protection.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Atletico did not believe this was a serious attempt to sign the player, and reacted with more angry and scornful social media posts.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Definition of scornful

Browse Nearby Words

loathes
loathing
loathings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on loathing

Nglish: Translation of loathing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All