Hatemonger and hate-mongering

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Grammarist

Hatemonger and hate-mongering are words that are being used more frequently. We will examine the meanings of the words hatemonger and hate-mongering, where these terms came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

A hatemonger is a person who foments prejudice or hostility against something or someone, particularly minority groups of people. Hatemonger is a compound word, which is a word that is derived from two separate words joined together. Most compound words are nouns, composed of an adjective and a noun or two nouns. The word hatemonger is derived from the word hate, meaning animosity, and monger, which means a broker or tradesman.

Hate-mongering is the act of fomenting prejudice or hostility against something or someone, particularly a minority group of people. It may also be used as a verb, related words are hatemongers, hatemongered. Though the hyphenated form, hate-mongering, is still listed by the Oxford English Dictionary, the term is undergoing the same metamorphosis that many compound words undergo, first being spelled as two separate words, then a hyphenated word, and finally, as one word. The word hatemongering, spelled as one word, has recently been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. 

Examples

How was an unapologetic hate-monger allowed to poison the minds of children, year after year without anyone speaking out? (The Edmonton Journal)

The latter is a notorious anti-Semitic, anti-Roma, pro-Russian hate monger, who Orbán provided with one of Hungary’s highest state honours last year.) (The Hungarian Free Press)

But this year, Maher has had to duck swings from the left after booking internet hatemonger Milo Yiannopolous on his show, a move which critics say lent legitimacy to Yiannopolous’ particularly vile brand of jackassery. (The Orlando Weekly)