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abominable

abominable

26 7.2
Very bad or morally wrong so people strongly dislike it
  • adjective
  • /əˈbɑːmɪnəbl/
: abominable
  • The community was outraged by the abominable discrimination against its members.
  • abominable teaching

I think what's happened to the Asians at Harvard, again, this is to be decided by the court is abominable.

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Examples

  • Get yourself some mints because your breath is abominable.

  • But what's really sort of abominable is that this is not a new idea.

  • And what exactly is it that you find so abominable about us, Joe?

  • Why did you have to break my heart with that abominable letter?

  • We draw your attention to the abominable behavior of Mr. Jones.

  • Something good will emerge from your abominable experiment, after all.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • And I'm like, Oh, my God, I've been living in just abominable conditions.

  • The pope considered the demand a "most abominable crime," making heretics of the participants.

    Academic text (2018)
  • From the colonies there came not just silks and spices, but a virulent and abominable plague.

  • From this vantage point, the study of stolen remains constitutes abominable acts of sacrilege, desecration, and depravity.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

terrible
vsabominable
∞ 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and often serious

highlights moral wrongness and deserving of strong dislike
awful
vsabominable
914 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and causing dislike

adds moral offensiveness and stronger condemnation to that sense
disgusting
vsabominable
538 1.3

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick

adds moral condemnation as a stronger, formal judgment
hideous
vsabominable
156 5.1

Very ugly and likely to make people feel shocked or disgusted

is more about moral offensiveness than physical ugliness
filthy
vsabominable
140 4.1

A person or action that is very bad and dishonest

focuses on moral blame and strong dislike rather than dirtiness
dreadful
vsabominable
134 3.7

Very bad and unpleasant, often causing fear or shock

leans more toward moral condemnation than general badness
vile
vsabominable
131 5.0

Very bad and morally wrong

focuses on moral offensiveness and deserving of dislike
ugly
vsabominable
113 4.9

Very bad or offensive in a moral way

is the broader term for extreme moral offensiveness and dislike
despicable
vsabominable
  • Offensive
87 5.7

Very bad in a way that makes people feel strong dislike and disgust

is the general term for extreme moral offensiveness
appalling
vsabominable
84 5.6

Causing shock and strong disgust because it is very bad

centres more on moral offensiveness and rightful condemnation
unspeakable
vsabominable
56 7.2

Too terrible to describe in words

is used for very severe moral wrongdoing as well
repulsive
vsabominable
54 5.5

Causing strong dislike or disgust, like a very bad smell

focuses more on moral wrongness rather than only disgust
horrid
vsabominable
47 4.1

A very unpleasant thing that shocks or disgusts you

is more linked to moral wrongness and strong dislike
wretched
vsabominable
  • Offensive
44 7.1

Very bad in a moral way and deserving strong blame

is broader, covering any extreme badness including moral outrage
intolerable
vsabominable
41 4.9

So unpleasant or painful that you cannot bear it

focuses more on moral offensiveness rather than tolerance
repugnant
vsabominable
35 7.8

Very unpleasant and morally wrong to most people

is the general extreme moral negative covering similar cases
distasteful
vsabominable
34 4.6

Something that makes people feel dislike or disgust

is stronger, indicating moral offensiveness and deserved condemnation
deplorable
vsabominable
34 6.8

Very bad and unacceptable, deserving strong criticism

focuses more on moral wrongness rather than only shock
unsavory
vsabominable
  • US
31 7.2

Something people think is morally wrong or dishonest

places stronger emphasis on deserving moral condemnation
revolting
vsabominable
31 4.9

Very unpleasant and likely to make you feel disgusted

is used for moral offensiveness as well as physical revulsion
objectionable
vsabominable
29 6.7

Causing people to feel offended or want to protest

adds stronger moral condemnation and deserved dislike
obscene
vsabominable
  • Offensive
27 5.7

Very shocking and upsetting to many people because it breaks moral rules

is used more generally for extreme moral offensiveness
atrocious
vsabominable
27 7.0

Being very bad and of low quality

applies more to moral offensiveness than to mere poor quality
abhorrent
vsabominable
21 7.7

Causing strong dislike or disgust because people see it as morally wrong

is broader, naming extreme badness and moral condemnation
loathsome
vsabominable
19 7.7

Causing strong disgust or hatred in people

is similar but highlights moral wrong as well as disgust
odious
vsabominable
  • Formal
19 8.2

Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel strong dislike

emphasizes moral offensiveness as the reason for dislike
ungodly
vsabominable
18 7.2

Morally wrong because it goes against religious rules

applies more generally to moral offensiveness beyond religion
damnable
vsabominable
  • Formal
10 8.5

Something that people strongly blame or hate for being very bad

highlights moral offensiveness rather than mere poor quality
repellent
vsabominable
10 6.1

Causing strong dislike or disgust

leans more toward moral condemnation than pure unpleasantness
detestable
vsabominable
9 6.5

Very unpleasant and causing people to feel strong dislike or hate

stresses condemnation and rightful strong dislike
anathematic
vsabominable
  • Offensive
6 9.9

A person, idea or action that many people strongly dislike

is similar but centers on moral wrong and condemnation
execrable
vsabominable
  • Formal
4 9.5

Very bad and unpleasant, causing strong dislike

is the same but puts moral offensiveness at the center
condemnable
vsabominable
1 7.5

Deserving strong criticism for being wrong

applies more broadly to extreme moral offensiveness and dislike
loathly
vsabominable
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Very unpleasant and likely to make people feel disgusted

stresses moral offensiveness more than mere aversion
disgustful
vsabominable
1 6.7

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick

is the same idea but also stresses moral disapproval

Antonyms

85 3.3

Having good qualities that make people respect you

26 4.6

Worth praising because it is good or done well

Compounds

6 8.8

A large, hairy humanlike creature that people say lives in the Himalayas

How Offensive

atrocious
7 7.6
abominable
26 7.2
offensive
  • Offensive
276 4.0
unpleasant
183 1.0

Surface Forms

abominable positive
abominably positive

Morphology

abominable = abominate (opaque) = abomin + able

The connection to 'abominate' is not transparent for most learners, and the root 'abomin' is not recognizable as a morpheme in English.

Etymology

The word abominable comes from Latin parts ab- ('away') and omen ('sign' or 'warning') because people used it for things seen as a bad sign you should turn away from. So, abominable now describes something very bad or shocking that people strongly dislike.