What does abomination mean?
An abomination is a thing that inspires profound disgust or loathing, whether because it violates moral principles, offends religious law, or simply strikes observers as unbearably bad. The word sits at the severe end of the spectrum of disapproval: where 'unpleasant' describes mild distaste, 'abomination' signals something so repugnant it seems to deserve condemnation outright. It appears frequently in religious texts, where acts forbidden by divine law are called abominations, and in moral and political rhetoric denouncing cruelty, corruption, or injustice. In informal modern use, people also apply it hyperbolically to eyesores, disasters of design, or artistic failures — calling a garish building or a botched film adaptation 'an abomination.' Derived from Latin roots connected to omens and ill fortune, the word has carried a sense of dread since antiquity. Its force makes it useful precisely when ordinary criticism feels insufficient: to label something an abomination is to place it beyond the pale of acceptability altogether.
nounA thing that causes intense disgust or loathing; something regarded as utterly repugnant, especially on moral or religious grounds.
- A person, thing, or practice that arouses intense disgust or moral revulsion.
- In religious contexts (especially biblical usage), something forbidden or detestable in the eyes of God.
- Informally, something regarded as extremely bad, ugly, or badly made (e.g. 'that haircut is an abomination').
"The corruption scandal was widely condemned as an abomination of public trust."
"She considered the mistreatment of animals a moral abomination that no civilized society should tolerate."
"The critics panned the film's sequel as an abomination that betrayed everything the original stood for."
The plural is standard and regular; it commonly appears when listing multiple forbidden practices or multiple instances of something loathsome.
"The report catalogued the abominations committed during the regime's rule."
The word 'abomination' traces back to Latin omens — the Romans believed certain signs foretold doom, and to call something an abomination was to mark it as a warning from the gods.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abomination
Abomination derives from the Latin verb abominari, meaning 'to deprecate as an ill omen,' formed from ab- ('away from') and omen ('foreboding sign'). The Romans held that certain sights or events were ominous portents, and to abominate something was to recoil from it as a warning of misfortune. The word passed into Old French as abominacion and entered English in the late medieval period, retaining both its sense of religious taboo and its visceral charge of disgust. Cognates and relatives include the adjective abominable, the verb abominate, and ultimately the broader family of words built on Latin omen, such as ominous.
Related word forms
How abomination is actually used
The word carries strong connotations of moral outrage and is typically used in formal, religious, or emphatic contexts rather than casual conversation. In everyday speech it often appears hyperbolically to describe anything deemed shockingly bad. Its biblical resonance ('abomination' in translations of Hebrew to'evah) gives it particular weight in religious discourse.
Easily confused with abomination
Abominable is the adjective meaning loathsome or detestable, while abomination is the noun naming the thing itself.
An aberration is a departure from what is normal or expected, whereas an abomination is something actively loathed as vile.