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A.Word.A.Day--execrable

(EK-si-kruh-buhl) Pronunciation

adjective: Detestable; wretched.

[From Middle English, from Latin execrabilis (accursed), from execrari (to curse), from ex- + sacrare (to consecrate). Ultimately from Indo-European root sak- (to sanctify) that is also the source of other words such as saint, consecrate, and sacred.]

"They (The Patriots) were execrable, failing to record a first down in the first half."
Bob Ryan; They Stand Atop the Division, But Footing Seems Quite Shaky; Boston Globe; Dec 1, 1997.

"She persuades us to admire an execrable ('lovable', she says) woman who was doggedly, arrogantly and treacherously misguided."
Mosley's final insult; Sunday Times (London, UK): Aug 24, 2003.

See more usage examples of execrable in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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