as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the girl's classmates were bullying her online, sending her hateful e-mails and text messages
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hateful
Democrats are hateful, hostile, ignorant and out of touch.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Jake Lang, bigot, hateful, of course.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
This kind of hateful rhetoric is a throwback to the early 2000s.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Columnist Joe Gerth wonders what his mother, a member of a church that stands against hateful immigration policies, thinks.
—Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hateful
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Jake Lang, bigot, hateful, of course.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
This kind of hateful rhetoric is a throwback to the early 2000s.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Columnist Joe Gerth wonders what his mother, a member of a church that stands against hateful immigration policies, thinks.
—Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hateful
Adjective
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Fleming was charged with one count of malicious assault, with the sheriff's department adding that more charges are possible in the future.—
Michael Guise,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
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Cole was charged with one count of unlawfully transporting an explosive device with a plan either to kill, injure, or intimidate a person or to unlawfully destroy property, and a second count of malicious destruction or attempt to destroy with an explosive device.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Compared with a vicious online duel, this conflict is hard to dramatize.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
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Ejiofor, the Big East Player of the Year, snatched the momentum with a rare 3-pointer from the top of the key before a vicious block on Demary, which led to a flashy dunk from Dillon Mitchell (nine points, nine rebounds, two steals).—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The $31 million stopgap measure overrides a cruel funding cut by the state Department of Health and, for now, avoids a potential life-or-death situation for about 11,000 people in Florida.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
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But the love between cruel people is a real love, too.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Based on a tragic true-life incident, director Joe Carnahan's survival thriller stars Zachary Levi as one of four friends who head out on a fishing expedition and their boat capsizes in a nasty storm.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
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Murder by Numbers is an entertainingly nasty thriller about two high-schoolers, popular Richard (Gosling) and introverted Justin (Michael Pitt), who plan the perfect murder and frame a local drug dealer for it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hateful. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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