loather
loather Lexical Profile
loather Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who loathes, detests, or feels intense disgust or hatred toward someone or something.
"A lifelong loather of pretentious small talk, he preferred spending his evenings reading quietly in the study."
• adjective
More loath; more reluctant, unwilling, or disinclined to do something (now rare or archaic).
"Having witnessed the bitter dispute firsthand, she was even loather to intervene in their family affairs than before."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a comparative adjective meaning 'more reluctant', 'loather' is rare and largely archaic in modern English, having been almost entirely superseded by 'more loath' or 'more reluctant'.
Word Origin & Etymology
As a noun, formed in Middle English from the verb 'loathe' (from Old English 'lāþian', meaning to hate or be hateful) plus the agentive suffix '-er'. As a comparative adjective, derived from the adjective 'loath' (Old English 'lāþ', meaning hostile or reluctant) plus the comparative suffix '-er'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.