loathe

/ləʊð/ (bre, ipa) · /ləʊð/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlōt͟h/ (ame, mw)

loathe — verb

  • loathepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • loatheshe / she / it
  • loathedpast simple
  • loathingpast simple

1. to feel very strong dislike toward a person, food, place, or activity — so stron

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to feel very strong dislike toward a person, food, place, or activity — so strong that being near it or doing it makes you uncomfortable or angry.

例句

Kwame loathes the smell of boiled cabbage drifting through the apartment.

loathe + noun (concrete object of dislike)

Naoko loathes getting up before sunrise, even on important workdays.

loathe + -ing for habitual activities

同義詞
  • detest

    near-identical in strength; slightly more formal and bookish.

  • abhor

    very formal; suggests a moral or principled rejection, not just personal distaste.

  • despise

    stronger contempt for people; implies looking down on the target, not just disliking it.

  • hate

    everyday word covering a wider range — from mild to extreme; loathe is always at the extreme end.

反義詞
  • love

    direct opposite for strong positive feeling.

  • adore

    informal positive counterpart; expresses deep affection.

  • relish

    to take active pleasure in something, especially an activity.

文法句型

loathe + noun

loathe + -ing

loathe doing something

用法筆記

Object must be something the subject finds repellent, not merely dislikes — reserve for strong feelings (foods, chores, behaviours, people). Not used in continuous tenses (❌ 'I am loathing this'). With activity objects, use the -ing form: 'loathes cleaning' not 'loathes to clean'.

常見錯誤

❌I am loathing this weather.
✅I loathe this weather.
💡loathe is a stative verb; do not use the continuous form.
❌She loathes to wake up early.
✅She loathes waking up early.
💡after loathe, an activity takes the -ing form, not the to-infinitive.
❌I loathe my new shoes a little.
✅I dislike my new shoes a little.
💡loathe is too strong for mild feelings; use 'dislike' instead.