loathsome

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UK/ˈləʊð.səm/UK/ˈləʊθ.səm/US/ˈloʊð.səm/US/ˈloʊθ.səm/

adjective

Highly offensive; abominable, sickening.

Meanings

adjectiveloathsome (comparative more loathsome, superlative most loathsome)

comparative more loathsome · superlative most loathsome · alternative misspelling loathesome · alternative obsolete lothsome

  1. Highly offensive; abominable, sickening.

    Come on my Lords the better foot before, / Straight vvill I bring you to the lothſome pit, / VVhere I eſpied the Panther faſt a ſleepe.

    c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, […], published 1594, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], signature [D4], recto
    2 more examples

    That grave but yesterday received one who was to have been his bride—his betrothed from childhood for whose sake he had been to far lands and gathered much wealth, but who had pined in his absence and died. He flung himself on the loathsome place, and the night-wind bore around the ravings of his despair.

    1832, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833, The Enchantress, page 20

    Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was.

    1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter XX, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC, page 334

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivecausing or able to cause nausea

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-West Germanic*laiþasam
  2. Old English*lāþsum
  3. Middle Englishlothsum
  4. Englishloathsome

From Middle English lothsum, from Old English *lāþsum, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþasam, equivalent to loath + -some. Cognate with Middle Low German lêtsam (“arduous”), German leidsam (“sad, sorry”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek βδελυρός, βδελυκτός
  • βδελυρός (bdelurós)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • βδελυκτός (bdeluktós)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Arabic سافل
  • سافلhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Bulgarian противен, отвратителен
  • противен (protiven)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • отвратителен (otvratitelen)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Chinese Mandarin 憎惡 /憎恶
  • 憎惡 /憎恶 (zēngwù, zēng'è)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Esperanto abomeninda, abomena
  • abomenindahighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • abomenahighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • naŭzahighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Finnish inhottava
  • inhottavahighly offensive; abominable, sickening
French odieux, dégoûtant
  • odieuxhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • dégoûtanthighly offensive; abominable, sickening
German ekelhaft, abscheulich
  • ekelhafthighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • abscheulichhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • scheußlichhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • widerlichhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • widerwärtighighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • verabscheuenswürdighighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • verhassthighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • verruchthighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • abgrundhässlichhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Greek απαίσιος, επάρατος
  • απαίσιος (apaísios)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • επάρατος (epáratos)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • βδελυχρός (bdelukhrós)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Italian laido, odioso
  • laidohighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • odiosohighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • detestabilehighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Japanese 厭わしい
  • 厭わしい (itowashii)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Latin taeter
  • taeterhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Māori wetiweti
  • wetiwetihighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Portuguese nojento, repugnante
  • nojentohighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • repugnantehighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • abominávelhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • asquerosohighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • desprezívelhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • detestávelhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Romanian detestabil, odios
  • detestabilhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • odioshighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • dezgustătorhighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Russian отврати́тельный, омерзи́тельный
  • отврати́тельный (otvratítelʹnyj)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • омерзи́тельный (omerzítelʹnyj)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • отта́лкивающий (ottálkivajuščij)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • га́дкий (gádkij)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • проти́вный (protívnyj)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Spanish aborrecible, detestable
  • aborreciblehighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • detestablehighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • odiosohighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • abominablehighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • repugnantehighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • nefandohighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • execrablehighly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • asquerosohighly offensive; abominable, sickening
Ukrainian оги́дний, гидки́й
  • оги́дний (ohýdnyj)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
  • гидки́й (hydkýj)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Yiddish פּאַסקודנע
  • פּאַסקודנע (paskudne)highly offensive; abominable, sickening
Cite this entry
APA

loathsome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loathsome

MLA

“loathsome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loathsome. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “loathsome,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loathsome.

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