What does "abhor" mean?
To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable; to feel great repugnance toward.
Abhor
/əbˈhɔː/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable; to feel great repugnance toward.
- Grammar: abhor is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: execrate, loathe, abominate, abominate.
- Useful contrasts: delight, enjoying, relish.
- Usage evidence: People with physical disabilities abhor being pitied.
How to use "abhor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "abhor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "abhor" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "abhor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "abhor" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "abhor" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "execrate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "abhor", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable; to feel great repugnance toward. transitive
"I absolutely abhor being stuck in traffic jams."
- 2 find repugnant wordnet
- 3 To fill with horror or disgust. impersonal, obsolete, transitive
"But neuer taynt my Loue. I cannot say Whore, It do's abhorre me now I speake the word, To do the Act, that might the addition earne, Not the worlds Masse of vanitie could make me."
- 4 To turn aside or avoid; to keep away from; to reject. transitive
- 5 To protest against; to reject solemnly. obsolete, transitive
"I vtterly abhorre; yea, from my Soule Refuse you for my Iudge, whom yet once more I hold my most malicious Foe, and thinke not At all a Friend to truth."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To feel horror, disgust, or dislike (towards); to be contrary or averse (to); construed with from. intransitive, obsolete
"Also in those daunces were enterlased dities of wanton loue or ribaudry, with frequent remembrance of the moste vile idolis Venus and Bacchus, as it were that the daunce were to their honour and memorie, whiche most of all abhorred from Christes religion, sauerynge the auncient errour of paganysme."
- 7 Differ entirely from. intransitive, obsolete
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"People with physical disabilities abhor being pitied."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "abhor"?
Common synonyms include: execrate, loathe, abominate, abominate, abominates, be disgusted by.
How do you use "abhor" in a sentence?
People with physical disabilities abhor being pitied.
How do you pronounce "abhor"?
Pronounced /əbˈhɔː/.
Etymology
First attested in 1449, from Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Middle French abhorrer, from Latin abhorreō (“shrink away from in horror”), from ab- (“from”) + horreō (“stand aghast, bristle with fear”).