hateful

adjective

hate·​ful ˈhāt-fəl How to pronounce hateful (audio)
1
: full of hate : malicious
2
: deserving of or arousing hate
hatefully adverb
hatefulness noun

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 Those in favor of the local law deny the bill is hateful. Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 24 June 2024 The report also stated that part of the problem can be attributed to social media platforms, some of which have cut back on personnel and protections dedicated to mitigating the spread of disinformation and hateful rhetoric. Esther Sun, Sacramento Bee, 22 June 2024 Williams consistently dealt with hateful situations throughout her 27-year career, from debate over her on-court attire at the French Open to a 2018 racist cartoon in Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper, among several other instances throughout her career. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 17 June 2024 In the sensitive hands of director Lila Neugebauer and her top-notch cast, these people are complicated and they’re blinkered, monstrous and pitiable, trying and failing, not individually hateful and collectively matured in a slow cooker of unexamined bias and malice. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for hateful 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hateful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of hateful was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near hateful

Cite this Entry

“Hateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hateful. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

hateful

adjective
hate·​ful ˈhāt-fəl How to pronounce hateful (audio)
1
: full of hate : malicious
hateful enemies
2
: causing or deserving hate
a hateful crime
hatefully adverb
hatefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hateful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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