Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To regard with horror or loathing; detest.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Literally, to shrink back from with horror or dread; hence, to regard with repugnance; hate extremely or with loathing; loathe, detest, or abominate: as, to
abhor evil; to abhor intrigue. - To fill with horror and loathing; horrify.
- Synonyms Hate, Abhor, Detest, etc. See
hate . - To shrink back with disgust, or with fear and shudderings.
- To be antagonistic; be averse or of opposite character: with from.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb obsolete, obsolete To shrink back with horror, disgust, or dislike; to be contrary or averse; -- with.
- transitive verb To shrink back with shuddering from; to regard with horror or detestation; to feel excessive repugnance toward; to detest to extremity; to loathe.
- transitive verb obsolete To fill with horror or disgust.
- transitive verb (Canon Law), obsolete To protest against; to reject solemnly.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To turn aside or avoid; to keep away from; to reject.
- verb transitive, canon law, obsolete To
protest against; to rejectsolemnly .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb find repugnant
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Most women I am sure would abhor me -- yes, Dorcas -- _abhor_ me. '
Wylder's Hand Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu 1843
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Mr. Beck, this scary “social justice” phrase you abhor is exactly what many believe is the correct objective for churches and other community organizations, saving the taxpayer millions upon millions upon millions of dollars annually.
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Can't say I fancy the job much, but the only thing I positively abhor is 'faking' a society letter.
The Alpine Path: The Story of My Career Lucy Maud 1917
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All the hellish arts of malice and falsehood are made use of to render them odious or despicable; their words and actions are misconstrued, even that which they abhor is fathered upon them, laws are made to ensnare them (Dan.vi. 4, &c.), and all to ruin them and root them out.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon) 1721
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Censorship of the President of the United States of America without prior and complete information, i.e. the speech, is to be abhorred. "abhor" - "to regard with extreme repugnance."
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He said of them “whose actions I ever did abhor, that is, their Destruction of others, amongst whom I yet lived with a kind of shameless bashfulness.”
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Saint Augustine admits that he lived with a fast set, as people say now -- "the Depravers" or "Destroyers"; though he loved them little, "whose actions I ever did abhor, that is, their Destruction of others, amongst whom I yet lived with a kind of shameless bashfulness."
Adventures Among Books Andrew Lang 1878
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There is another way, which you and your ken would abhor, that is to grant a basic respect for other humans.
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To be honest, I kind of abhor the title of "space tourist."
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Here, values are not to be attached to objects; instead, we should value (or "abhor") processes.
Biodiversity Faith, Daniel P. 2007
seanahan commented on the word abhor
nature abhors a vacuum.
February 22, 2007
uselessness commented on the word abhor
Must be why I can never seem to keep my apartment clean.
February 22, 2007
dedra commented on the word abhor
"blacks" JEW ISRELIGHTS MUST ABHOR TO "pink not white people "EDOMIT DEVILS .SAYS YHA praise the most high ab·hor (ab hôr′, əb-) transitive verb abhorred -·horred′, abhorring -·hor′·ring to shrink from in disgust, hatred, etc.; detest
December 12, 2010