Hatred or Affection: English Vocabulary List

a strong and natural liking or sympathy toward someone or something

"They shared an affinity immediately."

"She developed a strong affinity for classical literature during university studies."

strongly opposed to something

"I am averse to risk."

"The risk averse investor preferred government bonds to stocks because she did not want to lose any of her savings."

having a strong liking or admiration for something

"She is enamored with him."

"She is enamored with him and cannot stop thinking about his smile and kind words."

filled with delight and amazement by something and giving it all one's attention

"I was entranced by the music."

"I was entranced by the music and could not look away from the stage."

arousing intense dislike or hatred

"The food was execrable."

"The food was execrable and we sent it back to the kitchen without taking a single bite."

(of an idea, intention, or act) deserving of admiration and praise, regardless of success

"Her effort is laudable."

"Her laudable efforts to help the homeless earned her an award from the mayor and the community thanked her for her kindness."

deserving praise or compensation

"The award is meritorious."

"The soldier received a medal for his meritorious service because he risked his life to save his comrades during a battle."

causing or capable of provoking a sensation of disgust or nausea

"The smell is nauseating."

"The nauseating smell of the rotten food made her gag and she had to hold her breath while she threw the entire container into the outside trash bin."

extremely unpleasant or rude

"He is an obnoxious person."

"His obnoxious behavior at the party made everyone feel uncomfortable and eager for him to leave."

extremely unpleasant and deserving strong hatred

"The crime was odious."

"The odious crime shocked the entire community and everyone demanded that the police find the criminal quickly."

holding opinions or judgments influenced by personal bias rather than objective reasoning

"The judge was prejudiced."

"The prejudiced landlord refused to rent his apartments to people from certain countries and he was eventually sued for violating fair housing laws."

extremely unpleasant and disgusting

"The idea is repugnant to me."

"The repugnant smell of rotting garbage made me cover my nose and run out of the kitchen immediately."

extremely repulsive and disgusting

"The smell is revolting."

"The smell of the garbage left in the hot sun for a week was revolting and everyone had to cover their noses to avoid gagging."

feeling or showing contempt or disrespect

"She gave a scornful laugh."

"She gave a scornful laugh when he said he could run faster than her."

to criticize someone or something in a harsh insulting manner

"The crowd began to revile the speaker."

"The former employees began to revile the company on social media after being laid off without severance pay."

strong hostility, opposition, or anger

"There is no animosity between the former rivals."

"Deep animosity existed between the two rival families for many generations."

a strong feeling of hatred, opposition, or hostility

"She felt a strong antipathy toward spicy food."

"She felt strong antipathy toward the dishonest politician after the scandal was revealed."

the quality of being agreeable and pleasant, but polite and formal

"The meeting had cordiality."

"Despite their initial disagreements, the two leaders met with surprising cordiality."

the feeling that someone or something is not worthy of respect or consideration

"She wrinkled her nose in disdain."

"She looked at him with open disdain after he lied to her face."

a strong tendency to do something or a fondness for something

"Strong penchant for collecting."

"She has a strong penchant for collecting rare books from around the world."

a tendency or need that makes one want to do something, often something considered morally wrong

"Natural proclivity for mathematics."

"He has a natural proclivity for mathematics and solved complex problems easily from childhood."

a sentiment of hatred or hostility

"The two families have a history of enmity."

"Longstanding enmity between the two nations finally ended after many years of peace talks."

a feeling of hatred and a desire to harm others, especially because of unjust treatment received

"Deep rancor remained."

"Deep rancor remained between the former business partners even many years after the dispute."

someone who dislikes, distrusts, or hates other human beings

"The old misanthrope lived alone in the woods."

"He declared himself a misanthrope who preferred solitude over human company most of the time."

someone who despises women or assumes men are much better

"His comments revealed him to be a misogynist."

"His comments revealed him to be a misogynist who believed that women were less intelligent than men and should stay at home."

an individual who is avoided and not liked, accepted, or respected by society or a group of people

"The traitor became a social pariah."

"After the scandal the once popular politician became a social pariah and no one wanted to be seen with him."

liking someone or something, or having an interest in them

"She was partial."

"She was partial to chocolate cake and ate it every day."

(always negative) to tolerate someone or something

"I cannot abide such rudeness."

"I cannot abide the constant noise from my upstairs neighbors any longer."

something that is gravely hated and disapproved of

"Heresy was anathema to the church."

"The idea of raising taxes was anathema to the conservative voters who had elected the candidate specifically to cut government spending."

a devoted and often biased supporter of a cause, political party, or leader

"The partisan crowd cheered for their candidate loudly."

"He is a strong partisan supporter of the political party and never changes his loyalty."