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hate

n. C / U
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈheɪt// UK //hˈeɪt// hate General-service Informal Slang

n. a very strong feeling of dislike for someone or something. It is the opposite of love.

n. an intense or passionate dislike for a person or thing. Uncountable in its abstract sense, but countable when referring to specific objects of dislike.


SIMPLE

His heart is full of hate.

CONTEXTUAL

The politician's speech was full of hate and encouraged violence against minority groups.

COMPLEX

She realized her intense dislike was not simple anger but a deep-seated hate that had been growing for years, poisoning her every thought.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Commonly followed by the prepositions 'for' or 'of' to specify its object or source.

Pitfall

I have hate for spiders.I hate spiders.Learners sometimes use the noun 'hate' with a verb like 'have' where the simple verb 'to hate' is more natural and direct.

Idioms1 entry

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