loath

L1O1A1T1H4
UK/ləʊθ/US/loʊθ/

adjective

Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling. Always followed by a verbal phrase.

“I was loath to return to the office without the Henderson file.”

Similar
aversedisinclinedreluctantunwillinglothantipatheticantipatheticalindisposed
Opposite
antonym(s) of
OriginMiddle English lōth ← Old English lāð ← Old Norse leið →
UncommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

loath1

adjectiveloath (comparative loather, superlative loathest)

comparative loather · superlative loathest · alternative loth · alternative loathed · alternative loathe

  1. Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling. Always followed by a verbal phrase.

    I was loath to return to the office without the Henderson file.

    5 more examples

    Then ſaid Faint-heart, Deliver thy Purſe; but he making no haſte to do it (for he was loth to loſe his Money,) Miſtrust ran up to him, and thruſting his hand into his Pocket, pull'd out thence a bag of Silver.

    1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, page 166

    Frankville, whoſe only Fault was raſhneſs, grew almoſt wild at the Recital of ſo unexpected a Misfortune, he knew not for a good while what to believe, loath he was to ſuſpect the Count, but loather to ſuſpect Camilla, yet flew into extremities of Rage againſt both, by turns: […]

    1722, [Eliza] Haywood, Love in Excess: Or, The Fatal Enquiry. A Novel. The Third and Last Part, 4th corrected edition, volume III, London: Printed for W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, J. Woodman, D. Brown, and S. Chapman, →OCLC, page 199

    "And thereupon I pledge thee," said the young nobleman, "which on any other argument I were loth to do—thinking of Ned as somewhat the cut of a villain."

    1822, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 82

    Of all the people in the world our countrymen are the loathest to give away their money without some reasonable quid pro quo; […]

    1868, [John Blaikie], “Schools and Schoolmaster, Churches and Parsons, Universities and Professors”, in The Old Times and the New, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, page 58

    If I to wed the girl am loth / A breach 'twill surely be—

    1875, Arthur Sullivan (music), W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert (lyrics), Trial by Jury. A Novel and Original Dramatic Cantata, London: Walter Smith, […], →OCLC, page 15
  2. obsoleteAngry, hostile.
  3. obsoleteLoathsome, unpleasant.

loath2

verbloath (third-person singular simple present loaths, present participle loathing, simple past and past participle loathed)

present singular third person loaths · participle present loathing · participle past loathed · past loathed

  1. obsoleteObsolete spelling of loathe.

    To Scriptures read they muſt their leaſure frame, / Then loath they will both luſt and wanton love; […]

    1576, George Whetstone, “The Castle of Delight: […]”, in The Rocke of Regard, […], London: […] [H. Middleton] for Robert Waley, →OCLC; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke of Regard, […] (Illustrations of Early English Poetry; vol. 2, no. 2), London: Privately printed, [1867?], →OCLC, page 20
    1 more example

    […] O Hypocrites! ye hope for Enjoyment of Chriſt, but be perſwaded of it, Chriſt ſhall eternally loath you, and ye ſhall eternally loath Chriſt: […]

    1736, Andrew Gray, “Sermon VI. Acts xxvi. 18. […]”, in Great and Precious Promises: or, Some Sermons Concerning the Promises, and the Right Application thereof. […], Glasgow: Printed by William Duncan, […], →OCLC, page 115

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
aversedisinclinedreluctantunwilling

eager, fain (archaic), keen, inclined, raring

Opposite
antonym(s) of

adjectiveunwillingness to do something contrary to your custom

Similar
lothreluctantunwilling

adjective(usually followed by ‘to’) strongly opposed

Similar
antipatheticantipatheticalaverseindisposedlothdisinclined
Also see
antipatheticantipatheticalaverseindisposedlothrelentfulreluctantreticentswearunwilling

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂leyt-“to do something abhorrent or hateful”
  2. Proto-Germanic*laiþaz“loath; hostile; sad, sorry”
  3. Old Norseleið
  4. Old Englishlāð
  5. Middle Englishlōth“loath; averse, hateful”
  6. Englishloath

From Middle English lōth (“loath; averse, hateful”), from Old English lāð, lāþ (“evil; loathsome”), or Old Norse leið, leiðr (“uncomfortable; tired”) from Proto-Germanic *laiþaz (“loath; hostile; sad, sorry”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyt- (“to do something abhorrent or hateful”). The word is cognate with Danish led (“disgusting, loathsome; nasty”), Dutch leed (“sad; (Belgium) angry”), French laid (“ugly; morally corrupt”), Catalan lleig (“ugly”), Icelandic leiður (“annoyed, vexed; sad; (archaic or poetic) annoying, wearisome”), Italian laido (“filthy, foul; obscene”), Old Frisian leed, Old High German leid (Middle High German leit, modern German leid (“uncomfortable”), Leid (“grief, sorrow, woe; affliction, suffering; harm, injury; wrong”)), Old Saxon lêð, lēth (“evil person or thing”), Swedish led (“bored; tired; (archaic) disgusting, loathsome; evil”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian неохотен
  • неохотен (neohoten)averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Czech neochotný, zdráhající se
  • neochotnýaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • zdráhající seaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Dutch aarzelend, afkerig
  • aarzelendaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • afkerigaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • weifelendaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • weigerachtigaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Esperanto hezitema
  • hezitemaaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Finnish haluton, vastahakoinen
  • halutonaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • vastahakoinenaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
French hésitant, réticent
  • hésitantaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • réticentaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
German abgeneigt
  • abgeneigtaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Hungarian kelletlen, vonakodik
  • kelletlenaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • vonakodikaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • átallaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Irish leisciúil, leasc
  • leisciúilaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • leascaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Italian restio, riluttante
  • restioaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • riluttanteaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • ritrosoaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Māori koto
  • kotoaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Portuguese relutante, hesitante
  • relutanteaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • hesitanteaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • reticenteaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Romanian reticent, ezitant
  • reticentaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • ezitantaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Russian неохотный, нежелающий
  • неохотный (neoxotnyj)averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • нежелающий (neželajuščij)averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Scottish Gaelic leisg
  • leisgaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Spanish poco dispuesto, reticente
  • poco dispuestoaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
  • reticenteaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant
Turkish isteksiz
  • isteksizaverse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling — see also averse, reluctant

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with loath

bothgrowthoathslothquothThothwrothtrothbetrothblowthcoathlowthslowthsowth
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Atholtolah
Cite this entry
APA

loath. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loath

MLA

“loath.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loath. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “loath,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loath.

Source: loath on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.