hate
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to dislike someone or something very much.
v.to feel intense hostility or aversion toward a person, object, or situation. Transitive — requires a direct object or a gerund.
Simple“I hate getting up early when it is still dark outside.”
In context“Many residents hate the new traffic system because it significantly increases their daily commute through the city centre.”
PitfallI am hating this cold weather. I hate this cold weather.As a stative verb describing a feeling, 'hate' is rarely used in the continuous (-ing) form.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a very strong feeling of dislike or anger.
n.an intense feeling of dislike or hostility. Often uncountable when referring to the emotion in general.
Simple“The two countries have a long history of hate and conflict.”
In context“The speech was filled with hate, further dividing a community that was already struggling with social tension.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.mean or angry comments sent to someone on the internet.
n.negative feedback, harassment, or abusive behaviour directed at a person or group online. Often used metonymically in digital contexts.
Simple“She decided to delete her social media account after receiving so much hate.”
In context“The athlete faced a wave of online hate following the team's unexpected loss in the championship final.”
Synonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person or thing that you dislike very much.
n.a person or thing that is the object of intense dislike. Often used in the phrase 'pet hate' in British English.
Simple“Loud chewing is my biggest pet hate when I am trying to eat.”
In context“The politician became a figure of hate for those who felt betrayed by the sudden change in policy.”
Synonymsaversionbugbear - 05 C1 Advanced
v.to say mean things about someone, often because you are jealous.
v.to express unmerited or excessive criticism toward someone. Frequently appears in the phrasal verb 'hate on'.
Simple“Don't hate on him just because he won the prize.”
In context“Critics began to hate on the director's new style, claiming it was too commercial compared to her earlier work.”
UsageOften used as the phrasal verb 'hate on' followed by a person or thing.
Usage hate crime · hate crimes
From Middle English hate (noun), probably from Old English hatian (“to hate”, verb) and/or Old Norse hatr (“hate”, noun). Merged with Middle English hete, hæte, heate (“hate”), from Old English hete, from Proto-Germanic hataz (“hatred, hate”), from Proto-Indo-European keh₂d- (“strong emotion”). Cognate with Dutch haat (“hatred”), German Hass, Haß (“hate, hatred”), Luxembourgish Haass (“hate, hatred”), Vilamovian hās (“hate, hatred”), Yiddish האַס (has, “hatred”), Danish had (“hate, hatred”), Faroese, Icelandic hatur (“hatred, spite, aversion”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish hat (“hate, hatred”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃 (hatis, “hate, wrath”). The verb is from Middle English haten, from Old English hatian (“to hate, treat as an enemy”), from Proto-West Germanic hatēn, from Proto-Germanic hatāną (“to hate”), from Proto-Germanic *hataz, from the same root as above.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.