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

Criticism is never easy to take, especially when it’s buried under snarky memes and hateful trolling. —Molly McPherson, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

Four major neo-Nazi accounts on X unmasked An investigation this week in the Texas Observer names the people behind four influential accounts on X, formerly Twitter, that have shared hateful neo-Nazi and white supremacist content with millions of users. —Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024

Women standing up for themselves is not hateful conduct. —Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 6 Dec. 2024

Each forfeiture announcement unleashed appalling, hateful messages individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff and many associated with our program. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 20 Dec. 2024

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