What does hatefulness mean?
Hatefulness means the quality of being hateful: the character of attitudes, speech, or conduct marked by intense dislike, contempt, or hostility. It may also refer more broadly to hatred itself, particularly when that hatred is being treated as a state, force, or defining quality. The word commonly appears in serious discussion of prejudice, discrimination, cruelty, and malicious rhetoric, although its elevated and somewhat literary tone can make it especially suitable for editorial, literary, or academic contexts. Unlike hatred, which usually names an emotion, hatefulness tends to emphasize a quality expressed through behavior or language. It is more formal than words such as nastiness or meanness, and its strong moral connotations can make it effective when condemning prejudice or deliberate cruelty. Although normally uncountable, hatefulness can occasionally be pluralized when different manifestations of hatred are being distinguished.
nounHatefulness is the quality or character of being hateful, especially the quality of speech, conduct, or attitudes marked by intense dislike or hostility. By extension, it can denote hatred or intense hostility considered as a state or quality.
- The quality of being hateful, especially as expressed in conduct, speech, or attitudes.
- Hatred or intense hostility considered as a state or quality.
"She answered the insult with dignity, refusing to return its hatefulness."
"The editor condemned the anonymous message not merely for its content but for the hatefulness of its tone."
"A quiet compassion seemed the only possible response to the hatefulness surrounding them."
Rarely used; hatefulness is normally treated as an uncountable abstract noun.
"The novel's catalogue of hatefulnesses moves from political resentment to personal cruelty."
Hatefulness is the word for what happens when hatred stops being merely a feeling and becomes a way of speaking or acting.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of hatefulness
Hatefulness was formed in English by adding the suffix -ness to hateful, which itself combines hate with the suffix -ful. Hate derives from Old English hete, a Germanic word with relatives in languages such as Old Norse and Gothic. The resulting noun has long been associated with the character or quality of hateful conduct.
How hatefulness is actually used
Hatefulness is more formal and literary than everyday alternatives such as hatred or meanness. It is usually uncountable and often has a rhetorical or evaluative tone.
Easily confused with hatefulness
Hateful is an adjective describing something characterized by hatred, whereas hatefulness is the noun naming that quality or character.
Hatred primarily names an intense feeling of dislike, while hatefulness more often emphasizes a hateful quality in conduct, speech, or character.