hateful

adjective

hate·​ful ˈhāt-fəl 

1

: full of hate : malicious

2

: deserving of or arousing hate

hatefully

ˈhāt-fə-lē 

adverb

hatefulness noun

Synonyms

• bad [slang]
• bitchy
• catty
• cruel
• despiteful
• malevolent
• malicious
• malign
• malignant
• mean
• nasty
• spiteful
• vicious
• virulent

Examples of hateful in a Sentence

the girl's classmates were bullying her online, sending her hateful e-mails and text messages

Recent Examples on the Web

The two central characters, a mild bespectacled middle-school geek named Hal and his hateful abusive bully of a twin brother, Bill (both are played by Christian Convery), discover the monkey sealed away in a round box. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025

Indeed, Ye advertised his Yeezy website during the 2025 Super Bowl broadcast Sunday (Feb. 9), which aired amid a days-long storm of hateful tweets from the star targeting Jewish people. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2025

White nationalist groups in Ohio have recently grown increasingly brazen in expressing hateful rhetoric and racist ideologies. —Alaa Elassar, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025

Back in May, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker faced zero professional repercussions for spouting off all sorts of hateful rhetoric about the LGBTQ+ community and working women during a commencement speech at Kansas’s Benedictine College. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from hate hate entry 1 + -ful -ful entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hateful

adjective

hate·​ful ˈhāt-fəl 

1

: full of hate : malicious

hateful enemies

2

: causing or deserving hate

a hateful crime

hatefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

hatefulness noun