self-loathing
noun
self-loath·ing
ˌself-ˈlō-ṯẖiŋ 
: loathing of oneself : self-hatred
acting out of fear and self-loathing
… the idea that the self-absorption and egotism of the narcissist are a pose to mask their opposite: a deep well of self-loathing and low self-esteem.—
Jeffrey Kluger
Jeffrey Kluger
self-loathing
adjective
… his life as a self-loathing sensualist, an incautious but easily damaged artist …
—A. L. Kennedy
A. L. Kennedy
… stars as a self-loathing English writer who writes Hollywood sitcoms for his actress wife …
—Giselle Benatar
Giselle Benatar
Examples of self-loathing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s an aspect of self-loathing here that Visser leaves alone.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
There’s something delicious about his cocktail of self-pity and self-loathing, which can arouse both the viewer’s repulsion and compassion.
—Susie Goldsbrough, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2025
Gemini spirals Google’s Gemini model series has developed a reputation online for occasionally devolving into self-loathing.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
In the series’ end, Harry and his sometime school comrades and allied teachers and others, fight off said tormented self-loathing wizard as, simultaneously, fascistic muggles rise, opposing the mere existence of their kind.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-loathing
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Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
There’s something delicious about his cocktail of self-pity and self-loathing, which can arouse both the viewer’s repulsion and compassion.
—Susie Goldsbrough, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2025
Gemini spirals Google’s Gemini model series has developed a reputation online for occasionally devolving into self-loathing.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 28 Dec. 2025
In the series’ end, Harry and his sometime school comrades and allied teachers and others, fight off said tormented self-loathing wizard as, simultaneously, fascistic muggles rise, opposing the mere existence of their kind.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-loathing
Cite this Entry
“Self-loathing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-loathing. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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