To loathe something means to hate it intensely or find it absolutely disgusting. When you loathe something, you have a deep, visceral reaction against it, like the revulsion you might feel toward a bully who torments younger kids, or the sick feeling in your stomach when you see someone being cruel to an animal. This goes far beyond the mild dislike you might feel toward broccoli or rainy days.

You might loathe the taste of a food that makes you gag, loathe having to wake up at five in the morning, or loathe the feeling of wet socks. In classic literature, characters often loathe injustice or cruelty. The word carries emotional weight: it suggests not just that you avoid something, but that its very presence upsets you.

Loathing is the noun form, describing that intense feeling of hatred or disgust. When someone is loathsome, they inspire that feeling in others through their awful behavior or character.