detest

detest — verb

1. to feel extreme dislike for someone or something, much stronger than simply not

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to feel extreme dislike for someone or something, much stronger than simply not liking them

Example

Jiwoo detests the smell of cigarette smoke and always moves away from smokers.

detest + noun phrase for concrete disliked things

Rachid detests being interrupted when he is concentrating on an important task.

detest + gerund for disliked actions

Common collocations
  • absolutely detest
  • utterly detest
  • truly detest
  • openly detest
  • always detested
  • detest violence
  • detest cruelty
  • detest injustice
  • detest hypocrisy
  • detest the idea of
  • detest the thought of
Synonyms
  • hate

    more common and less formal; can refer to both passing annoyance and lasting dislike

  • loathe

    similar intensity but often suggests physical revulsion or disgust

  • abhor

    strongly rejects something on moral or principled grounds; slightly more formal

  • despise

    adds a sense of scorn or looking down on someone or something

Antonyms
  • adore

    strong positive counterpart, implying deep affection and admiration

  • cherish

    implies valuing and caring for someone or something deeply

Grammar Patterns

detest + noun/pronoun

detest + verb-ing

detest + it when + clause

Usage Note

Commonly followed by a gerund (detest doing) or by 'it when' + clause. Stronger and more formal than 'hate'; suggests a deeply held, often morally grounded aversion rather than a momentary feeling of anger.

Common Mistakes

❓ 'I detest from waking up early.' ✅ 'I detest waking up early.' — 'detest' is transitive and takes a direct object; do not add a preposition after it.

❓ 'I detested my brother because he broke my toy.' ✅ 'I was angry at my brother for breaking my toy.' — 'detest' describes a sustained, long-term attitude, not a short-term reaction to a single event.

Word family

  • detested
    adjectiveB2
  • detestable
    adjectiveC1
  • detestably
    adverbC1
  • detestation
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Hate' is the most general and common word for strong dislike, covering both momentary irritation and lasting attitudes. 'Loathe' suggests physical revulsion (e.g., loathe the texture of certain foods). 'Abhor' implies a moral or principled rejection, often of actions or ideas rather than people (e.g., abhor violence). 'Despise' adds an element of scorn or looking down on someone, focusing on judgment of character (e.g., despise a liar). 'Detest' is closer to 'loathe' in intensity but often implies a sustained, deeply felt aversion rather than a sudden reaction. In everyday conversation, 'hate' is the most natural choice; 'detest' sounds noticeably more formal and emphatic.

hate ↗loatheabhordespise ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • detest the idea of
  • detest the thought of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'detestari' meaning 'to curse, to denounce,' formed from 'de-' (down, away) and 'testari' (to bear witness, to call upon a witness). In ancient Rome, 'detestari' referred to the act of calling upon the gods as witnesses against something in a public ritual of rejection. When English borrowed the word via French in the 1500s, the public, ceremonial meaning faded, leaving the inner feeling of intense aversion that 'detest' carries today.