Meaning & use
loathsome
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
So hateful or disgusting that people feel revulsion toward it.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be: a loathsome crime, the act was loathsome.
Patterns
- loathsome to someone
The villain in the novel is a loathsome, cruel man.
Many found the tyrant's behavior loathsome.
The smell in the abandoned room was loathsome.
Word forms
| comparative | more loathsome |
|---|---|
| superlative | most loathsome |
Common combinations
- loathsome creature
- The story features a loathsome creature in the swamp.
- loathsome crime
- The court condemned the loathsome crime.
- loathsome habit
- Spitting in public is a loathsome habit.
- loathsome person
- He was a loathsome person who bullied everyone.
- find something loathsome
- I find such cruelty loathsome.
Synonyms and how they differ
- repulsive
- Repulsive focuses on a physical or moral feeling of being pushed away, while loathsome stresses hatred.
- detestable
- Detestable is similar but a little more formal and less physical.
- revolting
- Revolting is common in everyday speech for things that make you feel sick.
- odious
- Odious is more formal and suits hateful people or behavior.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: loathsome or loath?
loathsome vs loath
Loath (no e) means reluctant, as in loath to leave, and is not the same as loathe, the verb for hating.
Practice
The critic called the dictator's crimes ___, meaning they filled people with disgust and hatred.
Choose one answer.
Loathsome means causing deep disgust and hatred. Laughable means ridiculous, lovable means charming, and lukewarm means unenthusiastic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loathsome”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.