What does execrating mean?
"Execrating" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "execrate," meaning to curse, denounce, or express intense loathing for someone or something. It occupies the most formal end of the vocabulary of condemnation: where a speaker might criticize, condemn, or revile, one who execrates does so with a sense of ritual severity, invoking curses or proclaiming utter abhorrence. The word derives from Latin "execrari," meaning to curse, formed from "ex-" plus "sacer" (sacred), reflecting the ancient idea of setting someone apart under a curse. Today it appears chiefly in literary, historical, and rhetorical writing, often describing impassioned denunciations of tyranny, injustice, or betrayal. Its related forms include "execration" (a curse or object of cursing) and "execrable" (utterly detestable). Because of its gravity and formality, "execrating" lends writing a heightened, almost liturgical tone of condemnation, making it a precise choice when ordinary words like "hating" or "cursing" feel too mild.
verbThe present participle and gerund of "execrate": to curse or denounce someone or something with intense loathing; to express utter abhorrence of.
- To curse or invoke evil upon someone or something.
- To express or feel intense loathing or abhorrence toward someone or something.
"The pamphleteer spent his final years execrating the tyranny he had once helped to build."
"Standing amid the ruins, the old historian could be heard execrating the invaders who had razed the city."
"She wrote not merely criticizing the policy but openly execrating everything it stood for."
When ancient Romans wanted to wish the worst on an enemy, they 'execrated' them — literally calling down curses that set them apart as cursed, from the same Latin root that gives us 'sacred'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of execrating
"Execrating" comes from the Latin verb "execrari" (to curse), built on "ex-" (out) and "sacer" (sacred), originally conveying the idea of pronouncing a solemn curse that set someone apart. The word passed into English via French in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. It shares its root "sacer" with "sacred," "consecrate," "desecrate," and "sacrifice," all of which concern setting things apart as holy — with "execrate" marking the dark inversion of that act.
Related word forms
How execrating is actually used
Highly formal and literary in register; rare in everyday speech. It carries a strong connotation of moral outrage and ritualistic condemnation rather than casual dislike. As a gerund it can serve nominally: "execrating was his only remaining form of protest."
Easily confused with execrating
"Excreting" means discharging waste matter from the body, while "execrating" means cursing or expressing loathing.
"Executing" means carrying out a plan or putting someone to death, while "execrating" means cursing or detesting something intensely.