# hateful

/ˈheɪtfəɫ/ (US) · /hˈeɪtfəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hateful
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. causing strong dislike

adjective · CEFR B2

very unpleasant or cruel, making you feel a strong sense of dislike or anger.

For teachers: evoking intense aversion, hostility, or resentment due to perceived cruelty or malice.

- The dictator was responsible for many hateful crimes against his own people.
- The regime's history is marked by hateful acts of violence that continue to haunt the survivors decades later.

### 2. showing hate or bigotry

adjective · CEFR B2

full of hate toward a person or a group, often because of their race, religion, or identity.

For teachers: manifesting or expressing intense malice, often specifically in the context of prejudice or bigotry.

- The website was taken down because it was full of hateful comments about immigrants.
- The legislation was designed to curb the spread of hateful rhetoric that targets vulnerable minority groups in the digital sphere.

Teaching tip: In modern social contexts, this sense is frequently used in the phrase 'hateful speech' or 'hate speech' to describe bigoted language.

## Examples

- He sent a hateful message to his former friend.
- The community stood together to condemn the hateful graffiti that appeared on the library walls overnight.
- The critic's review was not merely negative but actively hateful, attacking the author's character rather than the literary merits of the novel itself.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.