execrable

See also: exécrable

English

Etymology

From Old French execrable, from Latin execrabilis.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɛksɪkɹəbl/, /ˈɛksəkɹəbl/, /ˈɛkskɹəbl/

  Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

execrable (comparative more execrable, superlative most execrable)

1. Of the poorest quality.
   • 2024, G. S. Hans, Law Professors Can’t Keep Carrying Water For the Supreme Court, in: Balls and Strikes, August 5 2024

     As execrable as the Supreme Court’s decisions have been, they are of a piece with the conservative rulings from lower court judges who see no issue with laundering a revanchist policy agenda through contorted rulings.

2. Hateful, disgusting.
   • 1779, Jefferson, letter to Patrick Henry written on March 27

     But is an enemy so execrable, that, though in captivity, his wishes and comforts are to be disregarded and even crossed? I think not. It is for the benefit of mankind to mitigate the horrors of war as much as possible.

   • 2001 June 1, David Langford with John Grant, Guts: A Comedy of Manners, Wildside Press, →ISBN, page 72:

     The arcanely evil words of that despicable, loathsome, suppressed, vile, pululating ^[sic], odious, nictating, repellent, repugnant, noxious, abhorrent, abominable, tory, execrable, nauseous work, Ye Boke of Guts, moved as if on a conveyor belt before his eyes.

Synonyms

• abhorrent
• abominable
• atrocious
• deplorable
• despicable
• detestable
• disgusting
• foul
• heinous
• horrific
• loathsome
• low
• monstrous
• repulsive
• revolting
• sickening
• vile
• wretched

Derived terms

• inexecrable

Related terms

• execrableness
• execrably
• execration
• execrate

Collocations

with nouns

• execrable taste
• execrable road
• execrable crime
• execrable murder
• execrable thing

Translations

of the poorest quality

• Bulgarian: долен (bg) (dolen)
• Faroese: ússaligur
• French: exécrable (fr)
• German: armselig (de), erbärmlich (de)
• Italian: esecrabile (it)
• Latin: execrabilis
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: elendig, kummerlig (no)

• Polish: okropny (pl)
• Portuguese: execrável (pt)
• Romanian: execrabil (ro)
• Spanish: execrable (es)
• Swedish: vedervärdig (sv), usel (sv)

hateful

• Bulgarian: омразен (bg) (omrazen)
• Dutch: verfoeilijk (nl)
• Faroese: andstyggiligur
• Finnish: inhottava (fi), iljettävä (fi), kuvottava (fi)
• German: abscheulich (de), grässlich (de), widerwärtig (de)
• Italian: esecrando (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: avskyelig, viderverdig (no)

• Polish: okropny (pl)
• Russian: отврати́тельный (ru) (otvratítelʹnyj), отта́лкивающий (ru) (ottálkivajuščij)
• Swedish: avskyvärd (sv)

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin exsecrābilis.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Adjective

execrable m or f (masculine and feminine plural execrables)

1. execrable

Related terms

• execrar

Further reading

• “execrable”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “execrable”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “execrable” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “execrable”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin execrābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eɡseˈkɾable/ [eɣ̞.seˈkɾa.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: e‧xe‧cra‧ble

Adjective

execrable m or f (masculine and feminine plural execrables)

1. execrable

Related terms

• execrar

Further reading

• “execrable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025