English Reference

Word

abominably

Phoneticsabom·inably

UK/ɐbˈɒmɪnəbli/

Definition

adv. in a way that is extremely bad, cruel, or shocking. You use this to describe things that make you feel very uncomfortable or angry.

adv. in a manner that is extremely wicked, cruel, or offensive. Often used to describe moral failings or physical conditions that cause extreme discomfort.

Examples

“The conditions in the prison were abominably poor.”

“The company's treatment of its workers was abominably unfair, leading to a massive public outcry.”

“The historical records describe the abominably harsh winter that claimed the lives of nearly half the expedition's members before they reached the coast.”

Examples

simple

“The conditions in the prison were abominably poor.”

contextual

“The company's treatment of its workers was abominably unfair, leading to a massive public outcry.”

complex

“The historical records describe the abominably harsh winter that claimed the lives of nearly half the expedition's members before they reached the coast.”

Etymology

From abominable + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Rare
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/abominably

English Reference