What does detest mean?
"Detest" means to dislike or loathe something with intense, often visceral hatred. It sits near the top of the scale of negative feeling in English: stronger than mere dislike, and frequently implying a deep, settled revulsion rather than a passing irritation. The verb is transitive, taking a direct object — a person, thing, activity, or idea — as in "she detests cruelty" or "they detest being interrupted." It also combines naturally with gerunds to express hatred of actions. Register leans formal or emphatic; speakers reach for it when they want their condemnation to sound weighty and considered rather than merely emotional. Its derivatives include "detestable" (worthy of detesting) and "detestation" (the noun form). Derived from Latin roots meaning literally "to call witness against," the word carries a built-in sense of moral denunciation, which helps explain why it so often attaches itself to conduct we judge not just unpleasant but wrong.
verbTo detest is to dislike someone or something intensely; to feel strong hatred or loathing toward it.
- To dislike intensely; to feel abhorrence or loathing toward someone or something.
"She detests having to make small talk at networking events."
"He detests being kept waiting and will often leave if an appointment runs late."
"As a lifelong vegetarian, she has always detested the smell of frying meat."
When you say you 'detest' something, you're literally calling on witnesses to condemn it — the word descends from Latin de- plus testari, 'to call to witness.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of detest
"Detest" comes from the Latin verb detestari, formed from de- (expressing reversal or removal) and testari, meaning "to call to witness." In classical usage, detestari carried the literal image of invoking witnesses against something, thereby cursing or denouncing it. English adopted the verb in the early 16th century from French détester, retaining both the legal-religious flavor of public condemnation and its everyday sense of intense personal hatred.
Related word forms
How detest is actually used
"Detest" is a strong, fairly formal verb expressing intense aversion, stronger than "dislike" but often carrying a note of moral or visceral revulsion. It is typically used transitively with a person, thing, or gerund (e.g., "detest lying"). Because of its force, it appears more in careful writing and emphatic speech than in casual conversation, where "can't stand" or "hate" are more common.
Easily confused with detest
Despise means to look down on someone with contempt, while detest means to hate something with intense personal disgust — one can despise a rival without the visceral revulsion implied by detest.
Détente refers to an easing of hostility between nations, whereas detest means to hate intensely.