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# detestable

«detestable» in Mova's school dictionary: **Very hateful; so bad or nasty that people strongly…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (detestable, more detestable, most detestable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Very hateful; so bad or nasty that people strongly dislike it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#m1)

2) Of a person: behaving so cruelly or meanly that others cannot stand them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

A strong, rather formal word for something you hate, stronger than «nasty» or «horrible». In stories it tells the reader that a character or deed is truly wicked, and that the speaker is very angry or disgusted. Often in «a detestable habit», «detestable behaviour», «a detestable man». In old children's books grown-ups and animals use it in proud, angry speeches.

### examples

- Bullying younger children is a detestable thing to do. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x1)
- The villain in the story was a detestable man who stole from the poor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x2)
- My brother has the detestable habit of reading my diary. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x3)
- «What a detestable smell!» cried Aunt Mary as she opened the fridge. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x4)
- Cheating in a test is detestable because it is unfair to everyone else. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x5)
- The Queen thought the game was going detestably, and said so. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x6)
- Leaving litter on the beach is a detestable way to treat nature. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x7)
- "You are detestable!" exclaimed Babette, bursting into tears. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/#x8)

### note

Adjective; the adverb is «detestably», the verb is «detest» (to hate) and the noun «detestation». Stress on the second syllable: de-TEST-a-ble. It is a strong word; in everyday talk people more often say «horrible» or «awful». Do not confuse with «delectable», which means delicious.

### In the corpora

- [Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that is a detestable thing unto you.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/LEV.266/)
- [All winged swarming things that go upon all fours are a detestable thing unto you.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/LEV.274/)
- [But all winged swarming things, which have four feet, are a detestable thing unto you.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/LEV.277/)
- [And every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth is a detestable thing; it shall not be eaten.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/LEV.295/)
- [and ye have seen their detestable things, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were with them —](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/DEU.822/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «detestable» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/detestable/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.