Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Detestable |
DetestableAdjective1. Offensive to the mind; "an abhorrent deed"; "the obscene massacre at Wounded Knee"; "morally repugnant customs"; "repulsive behavior"; "the most repulsive character in recent novels". 2. Unequivocally detestable; "abominable treatment of prisoners"; "detestable vices"; "execrable crimes"; "consequences odious to those you govern"- Edmund Burke. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "detestable" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
Synonyms: DetestableSynonyms: abhorrent (adj), abominable (adj), execrable (adj), obscene (adj), odious (adj), repugnant (adj), repulsive (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Inexpedience | Evil, wrong; depraved; shocking; reprehensible; (disapprove). hateful, hateful as a toad; abominable, detestable, execrable, cursed, accursed, confounded; damned, damnable; infernal; diabolic; (malevolent). |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Detestable |
| English words defined with "detestable": Abhorrible, abominable ♦ Detestableness ♦ execrable ♦ Hatable, Hatel ♦ odious, odium. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "detestable": Beard ♦ FIRMNESS ♦ LICKSPITTLE, Lick-spittle ♦ Misnomers ♦ PIE. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "detestable": Confoundedly. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Detestable" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. Spanish (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, accurst, awful, damnable, detestable, hateful, horrible, loathful, loathsome, obnoxious, odious, terrible, vile). |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Cackle; cackling; evil; sinister; Mephistophelean; accursed; devil; cursed; damnable; damned; demoniac; demonic; detestable; diabolic; diabolical; execrable; fiendish; hellborn; hellish; hell; infernal; iniquitous; nefarious; satanic; serpentine; unhallow. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Decimus Magnus Ausonius | Nothing more detestable does the earth produce than an ungrateful man. |
Henry Ward Beecher | Selfishness is that detestable vice which no one will forgive in others, and no one is without himself. |
Sir Richard Steele | Nothing can atone for the lack of modesty; without which beauty is ungraceful and wit detestable. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | What is passable in youth is detestable in later age. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | The detestable maxim, (r)Live on your enemy , produced this leper, which rigid discipline alone can cure |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | I had much ado to defend myself against these detestable animals, and could not forbear starting when they came on my face |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | PIE, n. An advance agent of the reaper whose name is Indigestion. Cold pie was highly esteemed by the remains. Rev. Dr. Mucker (in a funeral sermon over a British nobleman) Cold pie is a detestable American comestible. That's why I'm done -- or undone -- So far from that dear London. (from the headstone of a British nobleman in Kalamazoo) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Detestable" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Detestable" is used about 34 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 100% | 34 | 59,261 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Language | Translations for "detestable"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i neveritshëm (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, accurst, beastly, contemptible, damnable, damned, despicable, disgustful, disgusting, execrable, fulsome, ghoulish, heinous, hideous, loathful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, odious, putrid, rank, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, rotten, sickening, sickly, slimy, sordid, squalid, unclean, unsavory, unsavoury). (various references) | |
Arabic | فظيع (abominable, atrocious, flagrant, gross, hideous, horrible, horrid, monstrous, outrageous, shocking, terrible, ugly), كريه جدا (dreadful), كريه (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, atrocious, bad, brackish, cursed, disagreeable, distasteful, foul, frightful, hateful, horrible, loathsome, nasty, objectionable, odious, offensive, out of favor, out of favour, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, seamy, sickening, sour, ugly, unattractive, unpleasant, unwholesome, wicked), مكروه (abhorrent, adversity, discomfort, hateful, misfortune, obnoxious, odious, ugly), ملعون (abominable, accursed, cursed, damn, damned, evil, execrable, god-damn, stupid, wicked), مقيت (abominable, execrable, repulsive), مقرف (disgusting, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, repulsive, sickening), بغيض (abominable, accursed, antipathetic, beastly, blasted, cursed, damned, distasteful, dreadful, forbidding, frightful, hateful, horrid, impossible, nasty, noxious, objectionable, obnoxious, odious, out of favor, out of favour, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, sticky, ungrateful, unhappy, unlikely, unpalatable, unpleasant, unsavory, unsavoury, unwelcome, villainous). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | отвратителен (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, accurst, atrocious, awful, beastly, bestial, carrion, creepy, cursed, damnable, disgustful, disgusting, distasteful, execrable, foul, fulsome, gruesome, hateful, heinous, hideous, horrible, ill-favored, ill-favoured, infamous, loathsome, lousy, miserable, morbid, nasty, nauseous, noisome, odious, offensive, punk, putrid, rank, repellent, revolting, rotten, septic, shocking, sickening, ugly, unholy, unsavory, unsavoury, unspeakable, villainous, wicked), омразен (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, accurst, hateful, obnoxious, odious). (various references) | |
Chinese | 极可恶. (various references) | |
Czech | ohavný (abominable, despicable, execrable, ghastly, heinous, hideous, horrendous, horrid, odious, ugly, unspeakable, vile, villainous), odporný (nasty), hnusný (abhorrent, beastly, dirty, disgusting, execrable, feculent, foul, horrible, loathsome, revolting, stinking, verminous, vile). (various references) | |
Farsi | مکروه (Execrable), نفرت انگیز (Execrable, Gruesome, Horrid, Invidious, Loathsome, Obnoxious, Odious), کریه (Nasty, Offensive, Ugly, Unsightly), بسیاربد (Desperate, Devilish, Terrible). (various references) | |
Finnish | vihattava (hateful, odious), inhottava (abominable, disgusting, hideous, loathsome, nasty), inhottaa (abominable, disgusting, hideous, loathsome). (various references) | |
French | détestable, odieux, exécrable. (various references) | |
German | verabscheuenswert (abhorrent, loathsome), abscheulich (heinous, horrible, abhorrent, abominable, abominably, execrable, outrageously). (various references) | |
Greek | σιχαμερόσ (disgusting, nauseous, repugnant), βδελυρός (hideous), μισητόσ (abhorrent, abominable, hated, hateful, invidious, obnoxious, odious), αντιπαθητικόσ (antipathetical, objectionable, unlikeable, unprepossessing). (various references) | |
Hebrew | משוקץ (abhorred, abominable, loathsome, repulsive), שנוא (abhorrent, hatable, hated, odious), געלי (abominale, disgusting, loathsome, mawkish), נתעב (abhorred, abominable, foul, gruesome, hateful, loathsome, obnoxious, odious, vile). (various references) | |
Hungarian | utálatos (abominable, execrable, loathsome, distasteful, nasty, nauseating, odious). (various references) | |
Indonesian | menjijikkan (abhor, abominable, abominate, detest, disgust, disgusting, displease, execrable, insulting, loathing, odious, reprehensible, repugnant, satiate, scandalize), jijik (abhorrent, antipathetic, contempt, detesting, loathing, loathsome, repugnant). (various references) | |
Italian | detestabile (abhorrent, accursed, obnoxious), odioso (odious, hateful), abominabile (abominably, damnably, hideous). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 憎い (hateful), 嫌 (disagreeable, reluctant, unpleasant). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | にくにくしい (hateful, loathsome), にくい (abominable, difficult, hard, hateful, poor-looking), いむべき (abominable), いやらしい (dirty, disagreeable, disgusting, indecent, lascivious, lewd, repulsive, unpleasant), いや (disagreeable, nay, no, reluctant, unpleasant, well, yes), いとわしい (disagreeable). (various references) | |
Manx | dwoaieagh (abominable, hated, hateful, vile). (various references) | |
Norwegian | avskyelig (abhorrent, abominable, beastly). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | etestableday.(various references) | |
Portuguese | detestável (accursed, damned, invidious, loathful, loathsome, nasty, odious, rancid). (various references) | |
Romanian | detestabil (accursed, execrable, foul, hateful, loathsome, odious, odiously), de nesuferit, scârbos (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, bloody, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, foul, fulsome, ghastly, loathsome, loathsomely, nasty, nauseous, repugnant, repulsive, sickening, unpleasant, verminous, vile), oribil (abominable, gruesome, hideous, hideously, horrible, horribly, horrid, horrific, monstrous), odios (foul, hateful, odious, odiously, repulsive), condamnabil (blamable, blameful, blameworthy, chargeable, condemnable, culpable, damnable, damnably, damnatory, impeachable, imputable, indictable, reprehensible, wicked), abominabil (abominable, abominably, dire, execrable, hateful, horrible). (various references) | |
Russian | отвратительный (abhorrent, abominable, disgustful, execrable, heinous, hideous, nauseous, repugnant, revolting, unsavoury). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | mrzak (abhorrent, hateful, heinous, loath, loathful, loth, obnoxious, odious), gnusan (abominable, damnable, heinous, hideous, loathful, loathsome, nasty, noisome, sickening). (various references) | |
Spanish | detestable (abhorrent). (various references) | |
Swedish | avskyvärd (abominable, loathsome). (various references) | |
Turkish | tiksindirici (abominable, cloying, disgusting, fulsome, loathsome, mawkish, odious, putrid, qualmish, sickening, squirmy), nefret uyandıran (abhorrent, disgusting, hatable, hateable, hateful, loathsome), iğrenç (abhorrent, abominable, accursed, accurst, cloying, crying, damn, damned, dirty, disgusting, distasteful, dread, dreadfull, execrable, filthy, foul, frightful, ghoulish, god-awful, grievous, hatable, hateable, hateful, heinous, hideous, horrible, horrid, infernal, loathsome, lousy, mangy, mawkish, nasty, nauseous, noisome, obnoxious, odious, offensive, putrid, rancid, rank, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scummy, shocking, sick, sickening, sickly, slimy, squirmy, stinking, ugly, vile, villainous, yuck). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | огидний (abhorrent, abject, abominable, accursed, accurst, antipathetic, antipathetical, atrocious, beastly, bilious, brackish, brutal, carrion, damnable, damned, disgusting, dreadful, evil, execrable, filthy, ghoulish, grim, hanging, heinous, hideous, horrible, horrid, ill-favored, ill-favoured, loathful, loathsome, mawkish, mucky, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, nefandous, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, pesky, poisonous, putrid, rank, repellent, repulsive, revolting, shocking, snotty, sordid, sour, stinking, underfoot, wicked), мерзотний (abhorrent, flagitious, nefarious). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | đáng ghét; đáng ghê tởm. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | abominabile, abominabilem, abominabiles, abominabilis, abominandum, detestabiliorem, exsecrabile. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Ezekiel Chapter 11, Verse 18 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai eiseleusontai ekei kai exarousin panta ta bdelugmata authV kai pasaV taV anomiaV authV ex authV |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Et ingredientur illuc et auferent omnes offensiones cunctasque abominationes eius de illa |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And thei shulen go in thidir, and thei shulen doo awei alle offensiouns, `or greuyngis, and alle abomynaciouns of it in the ilk day. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And they shall come thither, and they shall take away from thence all its detestable things, and all its abominations. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And they will come there, and take away all the hated and disgusting things from it. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Ezekiel Chapter 11, Verse 18 |
| Cebuano | Ug sila mamauli dinhi, ug ilang kuhaon ang tanang makapaluod nga mga butang niini ug ang tanang mga dulumtanan gikan dinhi. |
| Croatian | I kad se u nju vrate, istrijebit æe iz nje sve grozote i gadosti. |
| Danish | Derhen skal de komme og fjerne alle dets væmmelige Guder og alle dets Vederstyggeligheder; |
| Dutch | En zij zullen daarhenen komen, en al deszelfs verfoeiselen en al deszelfs gruwelen van daar wegdoen. |
| Finnish | Ja he tulevat sinne ja poistavat siitä kaikki sen iljetykset ja kaikki sen kauhistukset. |
| French | C`est là qu`ils iront, Et ils en ôteront toutes les idoles et toutes les abominations. |
| German | Da sollen sie kommen und alle Scheuel und Greuel daraus wegtun. |
| Hungarian | És bemennek oda és eltávolítják minden õ fertelmességeit és minden útálatosságait õ belõle. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Bila mereka pulang, mereka akan membuang semua berhala yang keji dan menjijikkan yang mereka temukan. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka apabila mereka itu sampai di sana, dilalukannya dari sana kelak segala barang-barangnya yang keji dan segala barang-barangnya yang kebencian. |
| Italian | Essi vi entreranno e vi elimineranno tutti i suoi idoli e tutti i suoi abomini. |
| Maori | Ka tae ano ratou ki reira, ka whakakahoretia ano e ratou nga mea whakarihariha katoa o reira, me nga mea anuanu o reira. |
| Norwegian | Og når de kommer dit, da skal de få bort derfra alle de avskyeligheter og vederstyggeligheter som finnes der. |
| Portuguese | E virão ali, e tirarão dela todas as suas coisas detestáveis e todas as suas abominações. |
| Rumanian | Wi cknd vor veni kn ea, vor scoate de acolo toyi idolii wi toate urkciunile. |
| Spanish | Allá volverán, y quitarán de ella todas sus cosas detestables y todas sus cosas abominables. |
| Swedish | Och när de hava kommit dit, skola de skaffa bort därifrån alla de skändliga och styggeliga avgudar som nu finnas där. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "detestable": detestableness, detestablenesses. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-d-e-e-e-l-s-t-t" | |
-2 letters: seatbelt, tableted, teaseled, testable. | |
-3 letters: abetted, baldest, battled, battles, beadles, beetled, beetles, belated, bestead, blasted, blatted, bleated, debates, delates, deletes, estated, seeable, settled, slatted, sleeted, stabled, steeled, tablets. | |
-4 letters: abeles, ablest, basted, batted, battle, beadle, bedels, beetle, belted, bested, betels, bettas, betted, blades, bleats, bleeds, debase, debate, delate, delete, deltas, desalt, detest, elated. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-d-e-e-e-l-s-t-t" | |
+4 letters: detestableness. | |
+5 letters: delectabilities, detectabilities, deterrabilities, extendabilities. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
