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loathe
/loʊð/
to feel intense dislike or hatred
She loathes the taste of coffee.
She strongly dislikes coffee.
formalinformal
to feel intense dislike or hatred for someone or something
He loathes the idea of public speaking.
He strongly dislikes the idea of speaking in public.
She loathes the way he treats people.
She intensely dislikes his behavior toward others.
Often used to express strong, deep-seated aversion.
Collocations
loathe the ideastrongly dislike a conceptloathe someone's gutsintensely dislike someone
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Formal vs. Informal Use
While 'loathe' is strong, it is more formal than 'hate'. In casual speech, 'hate' is more common.
Gold Rule
Subject-Verb Agreement
Use 'loathes' for third-person singular subjects (e.g., 'She loathes coffee').
Word Origin
From Middle English 'lothen', from Old English 'lāþian', meaning 'to hate'. Related to Old Norse 'laða' (to loathe) and Old High German 'leidan' (to suffer).
Usage Notes
Often used in formal or literary contexts to express strong dislike. Can be used with 'to' or 'the idea of' to specify the object of dislike.
Word Breakdown
loathe
to hate intensely
rootEnglish Dictionary