abhorrent

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin abhorrēns, abhorrēntis, present active participle of abhorreō (“abhor”). Equivalent to abhor +‎ -ent.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /æbˈ(h)ɒɹ.ənt/, /əbˈ(h)ɒɹ.ənt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /æbˈhɔɹ.ənt/
• (New York City, Philadelphia) IPA^(key): /æbˈhɑɹ.ənt/
• Rhymes: -ɒɹənt

Adjective

abhorrent (comparative more abhorrent, superlative most abhorrent)

1. (archaic) Inconsistent with, or far removed from, something; strongly opposed. [Late 16^th century.]

   abhorrent thoughts

   • 1803, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France‎^[1]:

     The persons most abhorrent from blood, and treason, and arbitrary confiscation, might remain silent spectators of this civil war between the vices.

2. Contrary to something; discordant. [Mid 17^th century.]
   • 1827, Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline And Fall of the Roman Empire‎^[2]:

     This legal, and, as it should seem, injudicious profanation, so abhorrent to out stricter principles, was received with a very faint murmur, ...

   • 1990, James Hankins, Plato in the Italian Renaissance‎^[3]:

     In establishing his ideal state he expressed some opinions utterly abhorrent to our customs and ways of living. He believed, for instance, that all wives should be held in common ... with the result that no one could tell his own children from those of a perfect stranger.

3. Abhorring; detesting; having or showing abhorrence; loathing. [Mid 18^th century.]
5. Detestable or repugnant. [Early 19^th century.]
   • 1833, Isaac Taylor, Fanaticism‎^[4]:

     If Pride, abhorrent as it is, and if Ambition, ...

   • 1936, Paul E. More, On Being Human‎^[5]:

     That, I protest, is a doctrine psychologically impossible and ethically abhorrent.

   • 1822, Richard Clover, Leonidas‎^[6]:

     The arts of pleasure in despotic courts I spurn, abhorrent; in a spotless heart I look for pleasure.

Usage notes

• (opposed): abhorrent is typically followed by from.
• (contrary): abhorrent is followed by to.

Antonyms

• nonabhorrent
• unabhorrent

 

Related terms

Related terms

• abhor
• abhorred
• abhorrence
• abhorrency
• abhorrently
• abhorrer
• abhorrible
• abhorring

Collocations

with nouns

• abhorrent behavior
• abhorrent act
• abhorrent crime
• abhorrent practice
• abhorrent thing

Translations

inconsistent with

• Afan Oromo: fokkisaa (om)
• Bulgarian: противоречи́в (bg) (protivorečív)
• Finnish: yhteensopimaton (fi)
• German: unverträglich
• Portuguese: incompatível (pt)
• Romanian: incongruent (ro)
• Turkish: uyuşmaz, bağdaşmaz (tr)

contrary or discordant

• Dutch: onverenigbaar (nl)
• Finnish: ristiriidassa (adverb), yhteensopimaton (fi)
• German: unvereinbar (de), konträr (de)
• Italian: contrario (it), incompatibile (it), contro (it)
• Portuguese: contrário (pt), incompatível (pt), discordante (pt)
• Romanian: contrar (ro)
• Turkish: karşıt (tr)

detesting; showing abhorrence

• Dutch: weerzinwekkend (nl)
• Finnish: inhoava (fi)
• German: abgestoßen (de), abgescheut
• Italian: ripugnante (it), disgustoso (it), odioso (it)
• Portuguese: detestável (pt), repugnante (pt), odioso (pt), horroroso (pt)
• Romanian: abhorând
• Russian: испытывающий отвращение (ispytyvajuščij otvraščenije)
• Turkish: tiksinmiş

detestable or repugnant

• Bulgarian: отврати́телен (bg) (otvratítelen), гну́сен (bg) (gnúsen)
• Finnish: kammottava (fi), inhottava (fi), vastenmielinen (fi), iljettävä (fi)
• French: répugnant (fr)
• German: abscheulich (de), verabscheuungswürdig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: στυγνός (stugnós)

• Ido: abomininda (io), odiinda (io)
• Irish: gráiniúil
• Marathi: घृणास्पद (ghŕṇāspad)
• Plautdietsch: wadalich
• Romanian: respingător (ro)
• Russian: отвратительный (ru) (otvratitelʹnyj), омерзительный (ru) (omerzitelʹnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: gnusan (sh), mrzak (sh)
• Spanish: repugnante (es)
• Turkish: tiksindirici (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} abhorrente, ^{(please verify)} repugnante
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} avskyelig, ^{(please verify)} vemmelig
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} ghê tởm (vi), ^{(please verify)} đáng ghét (vi), ^{(please verify)} trái với, ^{(please verify)} mâu thuẫn với, ^{(please verify)} không hợp với, ^{(please verify)} ghét cay ghét đắng

Further reading

• “abhorrent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “abhorrent”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “abhorrent”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• earth-born, earthborn

French

Verb

abhorrent

1. third-person plural present indicative/subjunctive of abhorrer

Latin

Verb

abhorrent

1. third-person plural present active indicative of abhorreō