# loath

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ləʊθ/ · frequency rank #43,241

## Definitions
1. Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling. Always followed by a verbal phrase.
2. Angry, hostile.
3. Loathsome, unpleasant.

## Etymology
From Middle English lōth (“loath; averse, hateful”), from Old English lāð, lāþ (“evil; loathsome”), or Old Norse leið, leiðr (“uncomfortable; tired”) from Proto-Germanic *laiþaz (“loath; hostile; sad, sorry”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyt- (“to do something abhorrent or hateful”).
The word is cognate with Danish led (“disgusting, loathsome; nasty”), Dutch leed (“sad; (Belgium) angry”), French laid (“ugly; morally corrupt”), Catalan lleig (“ugly”), Icelandic leiður (“annoyed, vexed; sad; (archaic or poetic) annoying, wearisome”), Italian laido (“filthy, foul; obscene”), Old Frisian leed, Old High German leid (Middle High German leit, modern German leid (“uncomfortable”), Leid (“grief, sorrow, woe; affliction, suffering; harm, injury; wrong”)), Old Saxon lêð, lēth (“evil person or thing”), Swedish led (“bored; tired; (archaic) disgusting, loathsome; evil”).

## Easily confused with
- **lot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lot)
- **Loh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-loh)
- **lost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lost)
- **lots** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lots)
- **loft** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-loft)
- **loot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-loot)
- **loch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-loch)
- **Lott** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lott)
- **LSAT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lsat)
- **lofty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lofty)
- **lotto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lotto)
- **lotta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lotta)
- **lotte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lotte)
- **lough** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lough)
- **locate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-locate)
- **loathe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-loathe)
- **Lovato** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-lovato)
- **loathed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loath-vs-loathed)
- **LAT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lat-vs-loath)
- **loa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loa-vs-loath)

## Common misspellings (7)
`laoth`, `lloath`, `loaht`, `loathh`, `loatth`, `lotah`, `olath`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/loath