LOATH


Meaning of LOATH in English

adjective

or loth also loathe ˈlōth, -th

Etymology: Middle English loth, lath hostile, loathsome, averse, from Old English lāth hostile, loathsome; akin to Old Frisian & Old Saxon lēth hated, loathsome, Old High German leid, Old Norse leithr hated, loathsome, Old Irish liuss aversion, disgust, and perhaps to Greek aleitēs sinner

: characterized by unwillingness to do something contrary to one's tastes, likes, sympathies, or ways of thinking

when he suggested a meal, I was nothing loath — H.G.Wells

— usually used predicatively or postpositively with an infinitive

seemed loath to enter, yet drawn by some desire stronger than his reluctance — Willa Cather

a spirit of camaraderie … that made us loath to part — Jack Hulbert

Synonyms: see disinclined

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.