hate

noun, often attributive

\ ˈhāt

Definition of hate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury

b : extreme dislike or disgust : antipathy, loathing had a great hate of hard work

c : a systematic and especially politically exploited expression of hatred a crime motivated by bigotry and hate —often used before another noun hate mailan organization tracking hate groups — see also hate crime

2 : an object of hatred a generation whose finest hate had been big business— F. L. Paxson

hate

verb

hated; hating

Definition of hate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to feel extreme enmity toward : to regard with active hostility hates his country's enemies

2 : to have a strong aversion to : find very distasteful hated to have to meet strangers hate hypocrisy

intransitive verb

: to express or feel extreme enmity or active hostility harsh faces and hating eyes— Katherine A. Porter

hate one's guts

: to hate someone with great intensity

Other Words from hate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about hate

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for hate

Verb

hate, detest, abhor, abominate, loathe mean to feel strong aversion or intense dislike for. hate implies an emotional aversion often coupled with enmity or malice. hated the enemy with a passion detest suggests violent antipathy. detests cowards abhor implies a deep often shuddering repugnance. a crime abhorred by all abominate suggests strong detestation and often moral condemnation. abominates all forms of violence loathe implies utter disgust and intolerance. loathed the mere sight of them

Examples of hate in a Sentence

Noun

These crimes are motivated by prejudice and hate. They have been unable to overcome their hates and fears.

Verb

He was a cruel tyrant who was hated and feared by his people. She hated them for betraying her. They were political rivals who truly hated each other. What is it that you hate about him most? children whose families have taught them to hate They hate being apart from each other. I hate the idea of leaving my mother alone all week.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Police are investigating after two buildings in East Arlington were defaced with hate speech early Tuesday morning, officials said. — Sarah Sarder, Dallas News, "Vandals deface buildings in East Arlington with swastikas and racial slurs," 27 Aug. 2019 Since Monday, several other videos showing students engaged in hate speech have surfaced. — Daily Pilot, "Nazi acts by OC students loom over an increasingly diverse county," 22 Aug. 2019 Since Monday, several other videos showing students engaged in hate speech have surfaced. — Los Angeles Times, "Nazi acts by youth loom over increasingly diverse Orange County," 22 Aug. 2019 Rest assured that any students engaging in hate speech or activities will face disciplinary action in accordance with California Education Code. — Marcy Oster, sun-sentinel.com, "California school district re-opens investigation into video of students making Nazi salute," 21 Aug. 2019 He was imprisoned for three years – technically for hate speech, not for his activities with IS – then went back to Obilic. — The Economist, "Confessions of an Islamic State fighter," 16 Aug. 2019 More recently, though, the platform has fallen victim to the same hate speech, bullying, and misinformation that plagues just about every social media site. — Sara Harrison, WIRED, "Instagram Now Fact-Checks, but Who Will Do the Checking?," 16 Aug. 2019 Silviu Sirbu, Voxility CEO 8chan's content is hate speech and is unacceptable according to our Acceptable Use Policy. — Jim Salter, Ars Technica, "8chan resurfaces, along with The Daily Stormer and another Nazi site," 7 Aug. 2019 But Section 230’s legal protection has also extended to fringe sites hosting hate speech, anti-Semitic content and racist tropes like 8chan, the internet message board where the suspect in the El Paso shooting massacre posted his manifesto. — Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, "Legal Shield for Websites Rattles Under Onslaught of Hate Speech," 6 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Glassdoor reviews on the San Francisco office have a theme: love the decor, hate the bureaucracy. — Owen Thomas, SFChronicle.com, "Western Union beats a strategic retreat from San Francisco," 28 Aug. 2019 Stormfront is an openly neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate group whose members also allegedly posted to 8chan frequently. — Dan Patterson, CBS News, "8chan users are moving to Discord, where your kids are playing video games," 26 Aug. 2019 Picciolini’s group works with and trains law enforcement and also counsels and engages with hate group members to try to pry them free. — Kristen Mcqueary, chicagotribune.com, "Column: The truth about race-baiting that Trump supporters don’t want to hear," 26 Aug. 2019 Given the behavior seen here and in the previous study of ISIS groups, the authors built a model of the formation of connections among hate groups. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Tracking online hate groups reveals why they’re resilient to bans," 24 Aug. 2019 Abbott also named a Domestic Terrorism Task Force, a group mostly focused on coordinating and improving law enforcement agencies' attempts to ferret out threats posed by white supremacists and hate groups. — Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott set to convene first meeting on El Paso shooting," 22 Aug. 2019 Don’t hate on someone else just because your [sic] jealous. — Kara Nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Cole Sprouse Trolled the FaceTune App on Instagram and Lili Reinhart Is "So Proud"," 22 Aug. 2019 To know summer in the South is to have a love/hate relationship with summer in the South. — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, "Southerners Are Not Having It With Thermostat Guidelines for 78 Degrees and Above," 21 Aug. 2019 Members of the group have reportedly received threats and hate messages since the statement. — Fox News, "Palestinian Authority bans LGBTQ activities in West Bank, reports say," 20 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for hate

Noun

Middle English, probably derivative of haten "to hate entry 2," replacing hete "hate, hatred," going back to Old English, going back to Germanic *hatiz- (whence, also inflected as an i-stem as in Old English, Old Saxon heti "hatred," and, inflected as a neuter strong noun, Old Norse hatr "hatred, spite" and Gothic hatis "anger, enmity"), perhaps going back to Indo-European *ḱh₂d-es-, derivative of a base *ḱeh₂d- "grief, pain, hatred," whence, with different ablaut grades and suffixation, Oscan cadeis (genitive singular) "ill will," Middle Irish cais "love, hatred," Old Welsh cás "bitterness, hatred" (Celtic from a derivative *ḱh₂d-ti-), Greek kêdos (neuter) "care, grief, (in plural) funeral rites, mourning, connection by marriage," Avestan sādra- "grief, pain, calamity"

Note: Though this Indo-European etymon is generally accepted in etymological dictionaries of the relevant older languages, the semantic relations are far from transparent, in particular the relation between "grief, mourning, care" (Greek, Iranian) and "hatred" (Germanic, Italic, and Celtic, though the ambiguity of the Irish word is peculiar).

Verb

Middle English haten, going back to Old English hatian, going back to Germanic *hatōjan- (whence Old Saxon haton "

hate

Definition of hate

Other Words from hate

Synonyms & Antonyms for hate

Choose the Right Synonym for hate

Examples of hate in a Sentence

First Known Use of hate

History and Etymology for hate

hate

Definition of hate

Other Words from hate

Synonyms & Antonyms for hate

Choose the Right Synonym for hate

Examples of hate in a Sentence

First Known Use of hate

History and Etymology for hate

WORD OF THE DAY