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 hateful rhetoric has been deployed all the way down the ballot, in Senate races, statehouse contests, and state constitutional amendment campaigns. —Madison Pauly and Sarah Szilagy, Them, 5 Nov. 2024

The worthwhile parts of Twitter (real-time news, sports, culture, silly memes, spontaneous encounters with celebrity accounts) have been drowned out by hateful garbage. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024

At the time of writing, May's post has received 52,000 upvotes and over 6,000 comments—both supportive and hateful. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Watch on Deadline Following the fallout from Trump’s hateful rally at MSG, Biden took on a call by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 30 Oct. 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