misotheism means hatred of God or gods. It carries an Arena rating of 1596, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, misotheism ranks #174 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #537 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #611 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,582 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
Why “misotheism” is a great word
Misotheism is a profound, active hatred of God or gods. From the Ancient Greek μίσος (mísos, "hatred") + θεός (theós, "god"), forming the compound μισόθεος (misótheos, "hating the gods"), the English word was used as a nonce-coinage by T. De Quincey in 1846. Unlike atheism, which denies existence, or dystheism, which questions goodness, misotheism is a verdict delivered in the full glare of belief. It is the defiant glare of a condemned prisoner toward an unjust judge, the scorched earth left by a capricious storm, and the furious silence of one who will not pray to a deity deemed unworthy. This is the ultimate spiritual grievance, the wound of faith festering into a final, furious conviction.
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek μισόθεος (misótheos, “hating the gods”), from μίσος (mísos, “hatred”) + θεός (theós, “god”). The Greek compound is found in Aeschylus (Agamemnon 1090; compare dystheism). The English word appears as a nonce-coinage, used by T. De Quincey in 1846. Attested as worthy of revival due to having a newfound historical prevalence by Bernard Schweizer in 2002.
noun
- Hatred of God or gods.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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