Meaning & use
execrable
Last updated
UK/ˈɛksɪkrəbəl/
US/ˈɛksɪkrəbəl/
Meaning
adjectivecomparableformal
Extremely bad in quality or character, deserving strong dislike.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: execrable food, the food was execrable.
Patterns
- be execrable
- execrable taste
The hotel served execrable coffee.
His handwriting was execrable.
Critics called the film execrable.
Word forms
| comparative | more execrable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most execrable |
Common combinations
- execrable taste
- The room was decorated in execrable taste.
- execrable service
- We left because of the execrable service.
- execrable behavior
- His execrable behavior shocked everyone.
- execrable weather
- The execrable weather ruined the picnic.
- an execrable crime
- The judge condemned an execrable crime.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dreadful
- Dreadful is common in speech, and milder than execrable.
- abominable
- Abominable carries strong moral disgust, similar to execrable but more about wickedness.
- atrocious
- Atrocious is also strong but is often used for quality, like atrocious spelling.
- appalling
- Appalling suggests shock, whereas execrable suggests disgust at poor quality.
Opposites
Word family
- execrably adverb
- in an extremely bad way
- execrate verb
- to curse or loathe
- execration noun
- an expression of hatred
- execrableness noun
- the quality of being execrable (rare)
Commonly confused: execrable or executable? execrable or excusable?
execrable vs executable
Executable means able to be carried out or run, as a computer file, which is quite different.
execrable vs excusable
Excusable means forgivable.
Practice
Which word could replace execrable in 'The food was execrable'?
Choose one answer.
Execrable means extremely bad, so dreadful fits. Delightful would be the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “execrable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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