self-hate

noun

ˌself-ˈhāt How to pronounce self-hate (audio)
Synonyms of self-hatenext
: hatred directed toward oneself rather than toward others : self-hatred
Humans need self-love, not self-hate, but when you have a disorder which makes you anti-social, it's hard to be kind to yourself.— Jo Challacombe

Examples of self-hate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Research shows even brief 30-minute interventions can significantly reduce feelings of hopelessness and self-hate among adolescents and can effectively serve diverse youth populations across different languages, with completion rates nearly doubling when implemented through community partnerships. — Rob Morris, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 In a movie that seems to insist that self-hate is just part of life, Kidman’s alluringly impulsive, tragically romantic Charlotte almost escapes that nihilism … almost. 9. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-hate was in 1576

Browse Nearby Words

self-hate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-hate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-hate. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on self-hate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for self-hate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All