Execrable

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɛksɪkɹəbl/

Definitions

1. Deserving of or causing extreme disgust, hatred, or condemnation due to being of the poorest possible quality or morally abhorrent
2. Extremely offensive, detestable, or of appallingly poor quality that provokes intense loathing and revulsion
3. Utterly deplorable and worthy of vigorous denunciation due to moral depravity or abysmal standards

Etymology: "Execrable" traces back to the Latin verb "exsecrari," meaning to curse or denounce, built from "ex-" (out, thoroughly) and "sacer" (sacred). The original sense was closer to something accursed or deserving of a curse than to mere badness: a thing so vile it called for a formal invocation of divine punishment. The Latin adjective "execrabilis" carried that meaning of abominable or detestable, and it passed into Old French as "execrable" before being taken into English. The modern sense of "extremely bad" is a considerable softening of that ritual condemnation. Something execrable today is merely dreadful, such as a meal or a performance, rather than the object of a solemn curse. The connection to "sacred" is still visible in the word's structure, even though its everyday use has lost all religious weight.

Synonyms: detestable, abominable, horrible, loathsome, atrocious

Antonyms: admirable, commendable, praiseworthy, excellent, superb