What does abhorrence mean?
Word: Abhorrence
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Abhorrence means a very strong feeling of hatred or disgust towards something, usually something seen as wrong.
Synonyms: disgust, hatred, revulsion
Antonyms: love, fondness, admiration
How do you spell abhorrence?
Syllables: ab - hor - rence
Tricky part: Two r's, because abhor is stressed on hor and doubles its r before a vowel ending. The ending is -ence, not -ance: students often write abhorrance.
Watch out for: abhorrance, abhorrense, aborrence
Memory tip: Horror and abhorrence share hor-r and the same shudder: what fills you with horror, you regard with abhorrence. Close with -ence, the ending of violence.
Abhorrence in a sentence
Example 1: My grandfather's abhorrence of waste means he saves every rubber band and paper bag.
Example 2: My cousin has an abhorrence of bitter gourd and pushes it to the edge of her plate.
Example 3: The coach made clear his abhorrence of cheating, even in a practice match.
Fun Fact
Abhor comes from Latin abhorrere, to shrink back in fear; horrere first meant to bristle, like hair standing on end, which is also where horror comes from.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. obidience 2. abhorrence 3. reluctance 4. persistence
a) a very strong feeling of hatred or disgust
b) carrying on firmly in spite of difficulty
c) willingness to follow orders or rules
d) unwillingness to do something
Show answer
c) willingness to follow orders or rules. Obedience has an e after the b, as in obey; abhorrence, persistence and reluctance are all spelt correctly.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word abhorrence as used in the sentence:
His abhorrence of waste made him switch off every fan left running in the house.
a) pity
b) ignorance
c) loathing
d) curiosity
Show answer
c) loathing. Loathing is strong hatred, which is what he feels about waste; pity would make him sorry, not disgusted.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
She could not hide her ebrrnohcea of lies, even small polite ones.
a) abhorrence
b) abhorrent
c) adherence
d) coherence
Show answer
a) abhorrence. The letters give two r's and two e's with a c, which only abhorrence can use up.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
abbhorrence
a) e
b) h
c) b
d) r
Show answer
c) b. A single b follows the a, the way it does in abrupt and abroad.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would most people feel abhorrence for?
a) a dull programme on television
b) a long queue at the bank
c) rain on a school holiday
d) cheating in a school exam
Show answer
d) cheating in a school exam
2. Which word could replace abhor in: I abhor littering?
a) notice
b) ignore
c) detest
d) excuse
Show answer
c) detest
