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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However the two teens entered this online subculture, their writings reveal despair about their personal lives and the world around them and expressed violent, hateful views. Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 25 Jan. 2025 Meta also updated its hateful conduct policy to roll back protections for certain groups, including women and LGBTQ+ people. Clare Duffy, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025 Interesting their harmful cannabis policy is now in line with their hateful content policy. Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2025 Last week’s changes to hateful conduct rules allow users to post more acerbic criticism, including about gender and ethnicity. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for hateful 

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 10 Feb. 2025.

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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