detestable

[dih-tes-tuh-buhl] / dɪˈtɛs tə bəl /

ADJECTIVE

loathsome, abominable

Synonyms

WEAK

abhorred abhorrent accursed atrocious awful despicable disgusting execrable godawful grody gross hateable hateful heinous horrid lousy low-down maggot monstrous obnoxious odious offensive outrageous repugnant repulsive revolting rotten shocking sorry vile

Antonyms

WEAK

admirable adorable adored cherished likeable loveable prized respectable respected

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Knowing the vulgarity of the old world, today I try to avoid being listened to by the new world – so that I don't come across as detestable," he told the court.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025

As the bored trust fund kid Tara, Lohan drew from her experiences withering away in the California sun to craft a character who was detestable but always sympathetic.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2024

And how a beloved author could have been a detestable human.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2023

Would they think that the detestable bugs had started to infest their apartments?

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2023

On July 16, 1861, Strong wrote: For ofall the detestable places, Washington is thefirst in July.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

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