Hate — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈhāt/

Meaning & Definition of Hate

Hate (noun)

  1. intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury
  2. extreme dislike or disgust, antipathy, loathing
  3. a systematic and especially politically exploited expression of hatred —often used before another noun

Hate (verb)

  1. to feel extreme enmity toward, to regard with active hostility
  2. to have a strong aversion to, find very distasteful
  3. to express or feel extreme enmity or active hostility

Hate (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to dislike strongly

    "she hates her job, she hates her friends, and she hates her life!"

    similar: abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, loathe, have it in for
    related: deplore, deprecate, disapprove (of), discountenance, disdain, disfavor, scorn
    opposite: love
    near: desire, fancy, favor, like, prefer, enjoy, relish, admire, adore, approve (of), esteem, hallow, idolize, revere, venerate, worship, cherish, prize, treasure

Hate (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a very strong dislike

    "hate can sometimes be replaced with tolerance when people meet face to face"

    similar: abhorrence, abomination, detestation, execration, hatred, loathing
    related: cattiness, despite, despitefulness, hatefulness, invidiousness, malevolence, malice, maliciousness, malignancy, malignity, meanness, spite, spitefulness, aversion, disgust, distaste, horror, odium, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, bitterness, contempt, disdain, enmity, grudge, hostility, jealousy, pique, resentment, scorn, bile, jaundice, rancor, spleen, venom, virulence, vitriol
    opposite: affection, devotion, fondness, love
    near: appetite, inclination, liking, admiration, adoration, veneration, worship, acceptance, tolerance, passion, relish, taste

  2. something or someone that is hated

    "the Alaska pipeline is a pet hate of environmentalists"

    similar: abhorrence, abomination, anathema, antipathy, aversion, bête noire, detestation, execration
    related: dread, hang-up, horror, phobia, bogey, bugaboo, bugbear, adversary, enemy, annoyance, grievance, hassle, nuisance, peeve
    opposite: love
    near: beloved, darling, dear, honey, sweetheart, delight, enjoyment, felicity, joy, pleasure, favorite, like, preference, treasure

Related Entry: Hate crime (noun)

Hate crime is a different word from Hate. The synonyms below are for hate crime, not for hate.

  1. as in bias crime

    similar: bias crime, breach, crime, debt, error, lawbreaking, malefaction, misdeed, misdoing, offense, sin, transgression, trespass, violation, wrongdoing, felony, misconduct, misdemeanor, misfeasance, fault, foible, peccadillo, break, infringement, immorality, iniquitousness, iniquity, sinfulness, vice, wickedness, corruption, debauchery, depravity, licentiousness, abuse, criminality, illegality, lawlessness, unlawfulness, descent, downfall, fall
    opposite: noncrime, blamelessness, faultlessness, guiltlessness, impeccability, innocence, irreproachability, goodness, morality, righteousness, virtue, virtuousness

Related Entry: Hate crimes (noun)

Hate crimes is a different word from Hate. The synonyms below are for hate crimes, not for hate.

  1. as in bias crimes

    similar: bias crimes, breaches, crimes, debts, errors, lawbreakings, malefactions, misdeeds, misdoings, offenses, sins, transgressions, trespasses, violations, wrongdoings, felonies, misconducts, misdemeanors, misfeasances, faults, foibles, peccadilloes, breaks, infringements, immoralities, iniquities, vices, corruptions, debaucheries, depravities, abuses, criminalities, illegalities, descents, downfalls, falls
    opposite: noncrimes, impeccabilities, innocences, irreproachabilities, moralities, virtues

Related Entry: Self-hate (noun)

Self-hate is a different word from Hate. The synonyms below are for self-hate, not for hate.

  1. as in self-loathing, self-disgust

    similar: self-disgust, self-loathing, diffidence, self-doubt, altruism, unselfishness, humbleness, humility, modesty, bashfulness, demureness, shyness, timidity, timidness, passiveness, passivity
    opposite: amour propre, bighead, complacence, complacency, conceit, conceitedness, ego, egotism, pomposity, pompousness, pride, pridefulness, self-admiration, self-assumption, self-conceit, self-congratulation, self-esteem, self-glory, self-importance, self-love, self-opinion, self-satisfaction, smugness, swelled head, swellheadedness, vaingloriousness, vainglory, vainness, vanity, assurance, confidence, self-assurance, self-confidence, self-righteousness

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hate

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hate:

abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, loathe, have it in for, abhorrence, abomination, detestation, execration, hatred, loathing, anathema, antipathy, aversion, bête noire

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hate

Words with the opposite meaning of Hate:

love, affection, devotion, fondness

Related Words for Hate

deplore, deprecate, disapprove (of), discountenance, disdain, disfavor, scorn, cattiness, despite, despitefulness, hatefulness, invidiousness, malevolence, malice, maliciousness, malignancy, malignity, meanness, spite, spitefulness, disgust, distaste, horror, odium, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion, animosity, antagonism, bitterness

Near Antonyms of Hate

desire, fancy, favor, like, prefer, enjoy, relish, admire, adore, approve (of), esteem, hallow, idolize, revere, venerate, worship, cherish, prize, treasure, appetite, inclination, liking, admiration, adoration, veneration, acceptance, tolerance, passion, taste, beloved

Word Forms of Hate

Inflections: hated, hating

Origin & Etymology of Hate

Middle English, probably derivative of haten "to hate: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"

First known use: 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Hate

Words & Phrases Containing Hate

hate crime, hate-mongering, hate one's guts, hate speech, hate-watch, hate mail, hate someone's guts, self-hate

Frequently Asked Questions about Hate

What does "Hate" mean?

"Hate" means intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hate"?

Other words for "Hate" include abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, loathe, have it in for and abhorrence. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hate" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hate"?

There are 74 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hate". Common alternatives include abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, loathe, have it in for, abhorrence, abomination and detestation.

What is the opposite of "Hate"?

Antonyms of "Hate" include love, affection, devotion and fondness. Near antonyms include desire, fancy, favor and like.

How do you use "Hate" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hate" in a sentence: "she hates her job, she hates her friends, and she hates her life!"; "hate can sometimes be replaced with tolerance when people meet face to face"; "the Alaska pipeline is a pet hate of environmentalists".

Is "Hate" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hate" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Hate" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Hate" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Hate"?

"Hate" is pronounced /ˈhāt/.