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Many usage commentators point out that the spelling of loath, the adjective, is distinct from loathe, the verb that means "to dislike greatly." Merriam-Webster dictionaries do record loathe (along with loth) as a variant spelling for the adjective, but at the same time indicate that the loath spelling is the most common one. The adjective and the verb both hark back to Old English, and the "e" ending in each has come and gone over the centuries—but if you want to avoid the ire of those who like to keep the language tidy, stick with loath for the adjective and loathe for the verb.
Synonyms
Examples of loath in a Sentence
Michael C. Bender, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The Federal Reserve is loath to get involved in politics.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Elizabeth is loath to go against her father’s wishes, but Robert will not be dissuaded.
—Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024
Wernick, the Miami zoning attorney, said banks are often loath to lend to unfamiliar types of projects.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
The project had a producer on board who was loath to take the writer on board because of his lack of credits.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
That could require collecting more information about users—a strategy that privacy-minded Huffman is loath to pursue.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
About half of Salisbury Beach properties have been owned by the same families since the period from the 1950s to the 1970s, and those owners are loath to renounce their ocean views, Mr. Saab said.
—Lola Fadulu, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
And yet patients, some of whom eagerly awaited one-time treatments, have been loath to try them.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 13 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loath.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Loath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loath. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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