Dictionary

abominable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (California) audio
• /əˈbɑm.nə.bl̩/ (US)
• /ɘˈbɔm.ɘ.nɘ.bɯ/ (New-Zealand)
• /əˈbɑm.ə.nə.bl̩/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle English abhomynable, from Old French abominable, from Late Latin abōminābilis (“deserving abhorrence”), from abōminor (“abhor, deprecate as an ill omen”), from ab (“from, away from”) + ōminor (“forebode, predict, presage”), from ōmen (“sign, token, omen”). Formerly erroneously folk-etymologized as deriving from Latin ab- + homo, literally "away from humankind," and therefore spelled abhominable, abhominal (Hence, Shakespeare puns on this when Hamlet speaks of incompetent actors that "imitate humanity abominably.")

Meanings

1. Worthy of, or causing, abhorrence, as a thing of evil omen; odious in the utmost degree; very hateful; detestable; loathsome; execrable.
   • utterly abominable
   • The parish stank of idolatry, abominable rites were practiced in secret, and in all the bounds there was no one had a more evil name for the black traffic than one Alison Sempill, who bode at the Skerburnfoot. 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
   • He committed an abominable act of cruelty.
   • abominable crime
   • But the feareful, and vnbeleeuing, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and ſorcerers, and idolaters, and all lyars, ſhall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimſtone: which is the ſecond death. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 21:8, column 1:
   • Whosoever shall be convicted of the abominable Crime of Buggery, committed either with Mankind or with any Animal, shall be liable, at the Discretion of the Court, to be kept in Penal Servitude for Life or for any Term not less than Ten Years. 1861, Parliament of the United Kingdom, “Section 61”, in Offences against the Person Act 1861^(Offences against the Person Act 1861), page 833:
2. (obsolete) Excessive, large (used as an intensifier).
3. Very bad or inferior.
4. Disagreeable or unpleasant.
   • The prisoners were kept in abominable conditions.
   • I want to go faster on my bike than a person with a beard. I want to be the first to own whatever’s the next spiraliser. I want it all: a carapace of insouciance over rock-hard triceps. This is an abominable thing to want, vain in every sense. But I’m going to set out to do whatever it takes not to decay faster than other people, and report it accurately and fairly. 2017 July 8, Zoe Williams, “Fit in my 40s: 'The brute fact is, something must be done'”, in The Guardian:
   • abominable weather

Forms

Deriveds

abominably · abominableness · abominable snowman · abominable snowperson · abominable snow monster

Descendants

abominabel

Relateds

abominate · abomination

Translations (91)

cmn 可惡 /可恶 (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · bg омразен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · hu förtelmes (very bad or inferior) · ru проти́вный (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · grc βδελυρός (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ro detestabil (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · it detestabile (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nl verfoeilijk (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pl plugawy (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · cs hnusný (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · it efferato (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pt abominável (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · bg отвратителен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · sh gnusan (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · cs strašný (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pl odrażający (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nl afstotelijk (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ru га́дкий (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ru отвра́тный (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · mk гна́сен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · fi iljettävä (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ru омерзи́тельный (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · tr iğrenç (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · mk нена́вистен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pt terrível (very bad or inferior) · cs odporný (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · la āversābilis (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · he נתעב (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pt execrável (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · grc βδελυκτός (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · fr abominable (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · it abominabile (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · de monströs ((obsolete) excessive; large) · tr berbat (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · it odioso (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · tl kamuhi-muhi (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · cs strašný ((obsolete) excessive; large) · bg ненавистен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · da fæl (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pt péssimo (very bad or inferior) · bg противен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · de verhasst (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nl afschuwelijk (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · da afskyelig (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nl verschrikkelijk (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · kk жиренішті (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ar بَغِيض (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · es aborrecible (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · es abominable (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · sv avskyvärd (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · hu utálatos (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ru гну́сный (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · de verabscheuungswürdig (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · hu undorító (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pt enorme ((obsolete) excessive; large) · mk о́двратен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nb avskyelig (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ga gráiniúil (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nl walgelijk (very bad or inferior) · hu gyűlöletes (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · gl abominable (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nb abominabel (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐍃𐌴𐍄𐍃 (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ia abominabile (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · mk о́двратен (very bad or inferior) · de abscheulich (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pl niegodziwy (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · da modbydelig (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · fi inhottava (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · cs ohavný (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · mk о́мразен (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · de riesig ((obsolete) excessive; large) · la abōminābilis (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · eo abomena (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · da rædselsfuld (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nl abominabel (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nl onaangenaam (very bad or inferior) · nb fæl (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ru ненави́стный (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · la abōminandus (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · nb fryktelig (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pl ohydny (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ru отврати́тельный (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ro abominabil (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ru отврати́тельный (very bad or inferior) · tr menfur (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · gl abominábel (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · tl kaani-ani (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · ca abominable (hateful; detestable; loathsome) · pt abominável (very bad or inferior) · arz وحش (hateful; detestable; loathsome)