intense hatred; abhorrence a person or thing that is detested
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
de•tes•ta•tion
(dē′te stā′shən),USA pronunciation n.
- abhorrence;
hatred. - a person or thing detested.
- Latin dētestātiōn- (stem of dētestātiō), equivalent. to dētestāt(us) (past participle of dētestārī to detest; see -ate1) + -iōn- -ion
- Middle French)
- late Middle English (1375–1425
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
de•test /dɪˈtɛst/USA pronunciation
v.
de•tes•ta•tion /ˌditɛˈsteɪʃən/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]See -test-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- to feel great hatred for; hate: [~ + object]They detest war.[~ + verb-ing]I detest jogging.
de•tes•ta•tion /ˌditɛˈsteɪʃən/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]See -test-.
de•test
(di test′),USA pronunciation v.t.
de•test′er, n.
- to feel abhorrence of;
hate;
dislike intensely.
- Latin dētestārī to call down a curse upon, loathe, equivalent. to dē- de- + testārī to bear witness; see testate
- Middle French detester
- 1525–35
- abhor, loathe, abominate, execrate, despise. See hate.
- love, like.
'detestation' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):