execrate

[ ek-si-kreyt ]
See synonyms for execrate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),ex·e·crat·ed, ex·e·crat·ing.
  1. to detest utterly; abhor; abominate.

  2. to curse; imprecate evil upon; damn; denounce: He execrated all who opposed him.

verb (used without object),ex·e·crat·ed, ex·e·crat·ing.
  1. to utter curses.

Origin of execrate

1
1555–65; <Latin ex(s)ecrātus (past participle of ex(s)ecrārī to curse), equivalent to ex-ex-1 + secr- (combining form of sacrāre to consecrate; see sacrament) + -ātus-ate1

Other words from execrate

  • ex·e·cra·tor, noun
  • un·ex·e·crat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use execrate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for execrate

execrate

/ (ˈɛksɪˌkreɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to loathe; detest; abhor

  2. (tr) to profess great abhorrence for; denounce; deplore

  1. to curse (a person or thing); damn

Origin of execrate

1
C16: from Latin exsecrārī to curse, from ex- 1 + -secrārī from sacer sacred

Derived forms of execrate

  • execration, noun
  • execrative or execratory, adjective
  • execratively, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012