What does abhorring mean?
Abhorring is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'abhor', meaning to regard something with intense disgust or loathing. To be abhorring something is not merely to dislike it but to recoil from it as morally repugnant — the word carries a force of visceral rejection that sets it apart from milder terms such as 'disapproving' or 'opposing'. It derives from the Latin 'abhorrere', literally 'to shrink back in shuddering', formed from 'ab-' (away from) and 'horrere' (to bristle or shudder), the same root that gives us 'horror' and 'horrid'. In modern usage, 'abhorring' tends to appear in formal writing and serious discourse, usually paired with objects like violence, cruelty, injustice, or hypocrisy. Its related forms include the adjective 'abhorrent', which describes the thing that provokes the disgust, and the noun 'abhorrence', which names the feeling itself.
verbThe present participle and gerund of 'abhor': to regard with disgust or intense loathing; to detest something utterly.
- Feeling intense disgust or loathing toward someone or something (the act of abhorring).
- Rarely used as a noun: an instance or expression of abhorrence.
"She grew up abhorring cruelty of any kind."
"He spent his career abhorring corruption in public life."
"Her letters reveal a woman openly abhorring the slave trade decades before abolition."
The word traces back to Latin 'abhorrere' — literally 'to shrink back in shuddering' — so to abhor something is, at root, to physically recoil from it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abhorring
Abhorring comes from the Latin verb 'abhorrere', meaning 'to shrink back from in horror or shuddering', composed of the prefix 'ab-' ('away from') and 'horrere' ('to bristle, shudder'). The English verb 'abhor' entered the language via Old French in the late Middle Ages, and its participial form 'abhorring' has been used since then to express active, ongoing disgust. It shares its root with 'horror', 'horrid', and 'horrific', all descendants of the same Latin verb, making the family of words a vivid record of physical revulsion turned into moral judgment.
Related word forms
How abhorring is actually used
Formal in register; 'abhorring' appears most often in written or elevated speech, typically followed by a direct object denoting conduct regarded as morally repugnant. It carries strong moral connotation — stronger than mere dislike or disapproval.
Easily confused with abhorring
'Abhorrent' is an adjective describing something that inspires disgust, while 'abhorring' is the verb form describing the act of feeling that disgust.