47 Idioms for Hate
Sometimes we feel upset or angry about things. That’s normal and human. But instead of using mean words, we can use idioms to express these feelings in a more thoughtful way. Idioms are phrases that help us share our emotions without being hurtful to others.
This article will explore idioms that show dislike or hate. These phrases can help you understand how people express negative feelings and give you better ways to talk about things that bother you. You’ll also find a short activity to practice using these idioms in everyday situations.
Idioms for Hate
1. Can’t stand
Meaning: Really dislike something or someone.
Sentence Example: I can’t stand when people are rude to others. / She can’t stand the sound of nails on a chalkboard.
Other Ways to Say: Can’t bear / Can’t tolerate
2. Hate someone’s guts
Meaning: Dislike someone very much.
Sentence Example: After he broke my trust, I hate his guts. / She hates his guts for lying about the project.
Other Ways to Say: Despise / Can’t stand them
3. Makes my skin crawl
Meaning: Something that makes you feel very uncomfortable or disgusted.
Sentence Example: That horror movie makes my skin crawl. / The way he treats animals makes my skin crawl.
Other Ways to Say: Gives me the creeps / Disgusts me
4. Rub someone the wrong way
Meaning: Annoy or irritate someone.
Sentence Example: His loud voice rubs me the wrong way. / Her bossy attitude rubs everyone the wrong way.
Other Ways to Say: Annoys / Irritates
5. Get under someone’s skin
Meaning: Really bother or annoy someone.
Sentence Example: That constant tapping gets under my skin. / His jokes really get under my skin sometimes.
Other Ways to Say: Gets on my nerves / Bothers me
6. Turn one’s stomach
Meaning: Make someone feel sick or disgusted.
Sentence Example: The smell of that food turns my stomach. / Watching that violent scene turned her stomach.
Other Ways to Say: Makes me sick / Disgusts me
7. Bad blood
Meaning: Angry feelings between people.
Sentence Example: There’s bad blood between those two families. / The bad blood started after the argument last year.
Other Ways to Say: Hard feelings / Bitter feelings
8. Drive someone up the wall
Meaning: Make someone very annoyed or frustrated.
Sentence Example: That loud music drives me up the wall. / Her constant complaining drives everyone up the wall.
Other Ways to Say: Drives me crazy / Makes me mad
9. Get on someone’s nerves
Meaning: Annoy or irritate someone.
Sentence Example: His whistling really gets on my nerves. / That dripping faucet gets on everyone’s nerves.
Other Ways to Say: Bothers / Annoys
10. See red
Meaning: Become very angry.
Sentence Example: I see red when people litter in the park. / She saw red when she found out about the lie.
Other Ways to Say: Get furious / Become enraged
11. Push someone’s buttons
Meaning: Do things that make someone angry on purpose.
Sentence Example: My little brother knows how to push my buttons. / Stop pushing my buttons or I’ll get mad.
Other Ways to Say: Make someone mad / Provoke
12. Wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole
Meaning: Want nothing to do with something.
Sentence Example: I wouldn’t touch that scary movie with a ten-foot pole. / She wouldn’t touch gossip with a ten-foot pole.
Other Ways to Say: Stay away from / Avoid completely
13. Like nails on a chalkboard
Meaning: Something very annoying to hear or experience.
Sentence Example: His voice is like nails on a chalkboard. / That squeaking sound is like nails on a chalkboard.
Other Ways to Say: Very annoying / Hard to bear
14. Boil someone’s blood
Meaning: Make someone very angry.
Sentence Example: Bullying makes my blood boil. / Seeing litter everywhere makes her blood boil.
Other Ways to Say: Makes me furious / Gets me heated
15. Stick in someone’s craw
Meaning: Something that bothers you and won’t go away.
Sentence Example: His unfair treatment still sticks in my craw. / That rude comment sticks in her craw.
Other Ways to Say: Bothers me still / Can’t get over it
16. Give someone the creeps
Meaning: Make someone feel uncomfortable or scared.
Sentence Example: That old house gives me the creeps. / His staring gives everyone the creeps.
Other Ways to Say: Makes me uncomfortable / Scares me
17. Turn someone off
Meaning: Make someone lose interest or feel disgusted.
Sentence Example: His bragging really turns me off. / Loud chewing turns her off completely.
Other Ways to Say: Puts me off / Disgusts me
18. Rattle someone’s cage
Meaning: Make someone angry or upset.
Sentence Example: Don’t rattle his cage before the big game. / That comment really rattled her cage.
Other Ways to Say: Make someone mad / Upset someone
19. Grind someone’s gears
Meaning: Really annoy someone.
Sentence Example: People who are always late grind my gears. / His messy habits grind everyone’s gears.
Other Ways to Say: Gets on my nerves / Bothers me
20. Sick to one’s stomach
Meaning: Feel disgusted or very upset about something.
Sentence Example: The unfairness makes me sick to my stomach. / Seeing the mess made her sick to her stomach.
Other Ways to Say: Makes me queasy / Upsets me deeply
21. Have it in for someone
Meaning: Dislike someone and want to cause them trouble.
Sentence Example: I think the teacher has it in for me. / He has it in for anyone who disagrees with him.
Other Ways to Say: Hold a grudge / Target someone
22. Like a red rag to a bull
Meaning: Something that makes someone very angry.
Sentence Example: Mentioning homework is like a red rag to a bull. / That topic is like a red rag to a bull for her.
Other Ways to Say: Triggers anger / Makes furious
23. Wouldn’t be caught dead
Meaning: Would never do something because you hate it.
Sentence Example: I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that outfit. / She wouldn’t be caught dead at that party.
Other Ways to Say: Would never / Absolutely not
24. Turn one’s nose up
Meaning: Show dislike by acting superior.
Sentence Example: He turns his nose up at simple food. / Don’t turn your nose up at helpful advice.
Other Ways to Say: Look down on / Act snobbish
25. Can’t stomach
Meaning: Cannot tolerate or accept something.
Sentence Example: I can’t stomach people who are cruel to animals. / She can’t stomach dishonest behavior.
Other Ways to Say: Can’t stand / Can’t tolerate
26. Grate on someone
Meaning: Annoy someone over time.
Sentence Example: His constant humming grates on me. / Her negative attitude grates on everyone.
Other Ways to Say: Gets annoying / Wears on me
27. Get someone’s goat
Meaning: Make someone angry or annoyed.
Sentence Example: His teasing really gets my goat. / Don’t let him get your goat so easily.
Other Ways to Say: Makes me mad / Annoys me
28. Poison someone against
Meaning: Make someone dislike another person.
Sentence Example: Don’t let gossip poison you against your friend. / She tried to poison everyone against the new student.
Other Ways to Say: Turn against / Make dislike
29. Bite someone’s head off
Meaning: Speak angrily to someone.
Sentence Example: She bit my head off when I asked about homework. / Don’t bite his head off for being late.
Other Ways to Say: Snap at / Speak harshly
30. Fly off the handle
Meaning: Suddenly become very angry.
Sentence Example: He flies off the handle when things go wrong. / Don’t fly off the handle over small mistakes.
Other Ways to Say: Lose your temper / Get furious
31. Blow a fuse
Meaning: Become very angry suddenly.
Sentence Example: Mom blew a fuse when she saw the messy room. / I’m going to blow a fuse if this keeps happening.
Other Ways to Say: Explode with anger / Get really mad
32. At each other’s throats
Meaning: Fighting or arguing constantly.
Sentence Example: Those two are always at each other’s throats. / The teammates were at each other’s throats after the loss.
Other Ways to Say: Fighting constantly / Always arguing
33. Like oil and water
Meaning: Two people or things that don’t get along.
Sentence Example: Those two friends are like oil and water now. / Math and I are like oil and water.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t mix / Don’t get along
34. Thorn in someone’s side
Meaning: Someone or something that constantly bothers you.
Sentence Example: That barking dog is a thorn in my side. / Her constant criticism is a thorn in his side.
Other Ways to Say: Constant annoyance / Ongoing problem
35. Cross someone’s path
Meaning: Make someone your enemy (when used negatively).
Sentence Example: You don’t want to cross her path when she’s angry. / He crossed the wrong person’s path.
Other Ways to Say: Make an enemy / Get on bad side
36. Hold a grudge
Meaning: Stay angry at someone for a long time.
Sentence Example: She holds a grudge against anyone who hurts her feelings. / Don’t hold a grudge over that small mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Stay mad / Keep resentment
37. Bear a grudge
Meaning: Continue to feel angry about something from the past.
Sentence Example: I don’t bear a grudge against my old friend. / He bears a grudge about what happened last year.
Other Ways to Say: Hold resentment / Stay upset
38. Get someone’s back up
Meaning: Make someone angry or defensive.
Sentence Example: That comment really got her back up. / Don’t get his back up by criticizing his work.
Other Ways to Say: Make defensive / Anger someone
39. Like a bull in a china shop
Meaning: Someone who is clumsy and causes problems (often making others dislike them).
Sentence Example: He’s like a bull in a china shop at formal events. / Don’t be like a bull in a china shop around her things.
Other Ways to Say: Clumsy / Destructive
40. Enough to make you sick
Meaning: Something so bad it makes you feel disgusted.
Sentence Example: The way he treats others is enough to make you sick. / That unfair decision is enough to make you sick.
Other Ways to Say: Disgusting / Makes you ill
41. Like watching paint dry
Meaning: Something very boring that you hate doing.
Sentence Example: Sitting through that lecture was like watching paint dry. / Cleaning my room is like watching paint dry.
Other Ways to Say: Very boring / Hate doing
42. Can’t hide your feelings
Meaning: Your dislike shows clearly on your face.
Sentence Example: She can’t hide her feelings when she disagrees. / I can’t hide my feelings about that unfair rule.
Other Ways to Say: Shows on face / Obviously dislike
43. Like a broken record
Meaning: Someone who repeats the same annoying thing (making you dislike hearing it).
Sentence Example: He’s like a broken record with his complaints. / Stop being like a broken record about homework.
Other Ways to Say: Repeats constantly / Always saying same thing
44. Stir up trouble
Meaning: Cause problems that make people dislike each other.
Sentence Example: Don’t stir up trouble between the friends. / She likes to stir up trouble in class.
Other Ways to Say: Cause problems / Make drama
45. Bad taste in one’s mouth
Meaning: A feeling of dislike that stays with you.
Sentence Example: That rude comment left a bad taste in my mouth. / The unfair treatment left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Lingering dislike / Unpleasant feeling
46. Clash with someone
Meaning: Not get along with someone because you’re very different.
Sentence Example: My personality clashes with his loud behavior. / Their teaching styles clash with each other.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t get along / Conflict with
47. Sworn enemies
Meaning: People who really hate each other.
Sentence Example: Those two have been sworn enemies since middle school. / They act like sworn enemies over a small disagreement.
Other Ways to Say: Hate each other / Big enemies
Exercise to Practice
- The way he chews with his mouth open really _______.
- That scary movie _______ every time I think about it.
- She _______ when people don’t clean up after themselves.
- His constant bragging _______ at school events.
- I _______ with people who are always negative.
- The unfair rule _______ among all the students.
- Don’t let his teasing _______ so easily.
- Those two friends are always _______ about everything.
- Her rude behavior _______ with everyone in class.
- That annoying sound is like _______ to my ears.
- I _______ that boring documentary with a ten-foot pole.
- The way she talks down to others _______.
- He _______ whenever someone disagrees with him.
- Their constant arguing _______ during group work.
- That unfair decision _______ in my mouth for days.
Answer Key
- gets under my skin
- gives me the creeps
- sees red
- rubs everyone the wrong way
- clash
- left a bad taste
- get your goat
- at each other’s throats
- doesn’t sit well
- nails on a chalkboard
- wouldn’t touch
- makes my skin crawl
- flies off the handle
- grates on everyone
- left a bad taste
Conclusion
Understanding idioms about dislike and hate helps us express negative feelings in a better way. These phrases let us talk about things that bother us without being mean to others. Whether it’s about a situation that annoys you or behavior you can’t stand, these idioms give you the right words.
Try to use a few of these idioms when you need to express frustration. Remember, it’s okay to dislike things, but we should always try to be kind to people. Sometimes a simple “that gets under my skin” is better than saying something hurtful.
