loathsome
English
Etymology
From Middle English lothsum, equivalent to loath + -some.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈləʊð.səm/ or IPA(key): /ˈləʊθ.səm/
Adjective
loathsome (comparative more loathsome, superlative most loathsome)
- Highly offensive; abominable, sickening.
- 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter XX, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London, New York, N.Y., Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC, page 334:
- Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was.
Usage notes
- Nouns to which "loathsome" is often applied: disease, creature, thing, person, man, woman, dungeon, place, world, smell, act.
Derived terms
Translations
highly offensive; abominable, sickening
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Further reading
- “loathsome”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “loathsome”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “loathsome”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.