What does hated mean?
Hated is the past tense and past participle of hate, and it can also function as an adjective describing something intensely disliked. As a verb, it reports completed or ongoing strong dislike: "She hated the proposal" describes her past feeling, while "He has hated his rival for years" may continue into the present. As an adjective, it commonly occurs before a noun, especially in expressions such as "a hated rival" or "a widely hated figure." The word conveys more than ordinary dislike and often suggests deep aversion, condemnation, or public hostility. It is used in both formal and informal English, although formal writing may prefer precise terms such as detested, despised, or abhorred when the degree and reason for dislike need clarification. Hated is also easily confused with heated, which refers to temperature or emotional agitation, and with hatred, the noun for the feeling itself. Although relatively plain, hated is emotionally forceful and remains useful whenever a writer wants to emphasize intense opposition rather than mild dissatisfaction.
The past tense and past participle of hate, expressing strong dislike, aversion, or hostility.
"The audience hated the singer, but the crowd still cheered loudly."
Hated is not the present-tense form; the present tense is "hate."
Intensely disliked or regarded with strong hostility.
"The company faced opposition from a hated rival."
This use normally precedes a noun and is stronger than "disliked."
Hated can describe a person, a policy, or even an idea: the word turns dislike into a powerful public judgment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hated come from?
The English verb descends from Old English hatian, meaning "to hate," a Germanic word related to Old Norse hatr, meaning "hatred," and Old High German haz, meaning "hatred." Hated developed as a regular past-tense and participial form of the verb. The related noun hatred and adjective hateful were formed later within English from the same Germanic root.
Related word forms
How hated is actually used
As a verb, hated is a past form and cannot express the present tense; use "hate" for that. As an adjective, it normally appears before a noun, as in "a hated enemy," and may sound more emphatic than simply "disliked."
Easily confused with hated
Hated means intensely disliked, whereas heated means warmed or, in some contexts, emotionally agitated.
Hated is a verb form or adjective meaning intensely disliked, while hatred is a noun naming the strong feeling of dislike.