Search results
Loath (adjective) means unwilling, while 'loathe' (verb) means to dislike greatly. Remember this simple distinction to avoid confusion.
People also ask
Is loathe a verb or adjective?
What is the difference between loath & loathe?
What does “loath to” mean in a sentence?
What is the difference between loath and oath?
Sep 3, 2012 · The meaning of LOATH is unwilling to do something contrary to one's ways of thinking : reluctant. How to use loath in a sentence. Did you know? Synonym Discussion of Loath.
Nov 18, 2021 · The difference between loath vs. loathe comes down to context. While one is a verb, the other is an adjective. Learn more about which is which here.
- Loath
- Loathe
- Loathsome
Loath goes all the way back to Old English, when it meant hateful or repulsive. It primarily survives in one grammatical construction. You can say you’re “loathto do something” when you’re reluctant to do it. In the biography The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell, a letter from Johnson to Boswell contains this construction: “I hope to meet yo...
Loathe is a transitive verb with the meaning to be disgusted or repulsed by. Many people use it to express an emotion even stronger than hate. The popular musical Wicked uses the gerund form of loathe (loathing) in its song “What is This Feeling?” It’s a strong word that helps the lyrics capture the characters’ sense of disgust and repulsion:
Bonus: the adjective loathsome, which means offensive or repellent. While the spelling of this word makes it look like it’s related to loath, it’s actually closer in meaning and pronunciation to loathe. Loathsome is pronounced with loathe‘s hard -thsound, despite its spelling.
It’s important to keep track of loath vs. loathe because they both have different meanings and different uses within the sentence structure. Loathe is a verb and means to detest or dislike. Loath is an adjective and means reluctant or unwilling.
Loathe is a verb meaning to dislike greatly. For example, if you have a mean boss, you might say that you loathe him. Loath is an adjective meaning unwilling or reluctant. For example, you might say that you are loath to to spend time with your mean boss outside work.
Jan 29, 2020 · A key point of difference to remember is that “loath” is an adjective while “loathe” is a verb. As such, if you need a word that describes hating or disliking something, it will always be “loathe” with an “e” at the end.
