Loathsome- (adjective)

Definition: causing feelings of hatred or disgust : very bad

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loathsome

Found in: “Quicksand” By, Nella Larsen. (P. 376)

Passage: “Her rescue by Uncle Pete, who had sent her to school, a school for Negroes, where for the first time she could breathe freely, where she discovered that because one was dark, one was not necessarily loathsome and could, therefore, consider oneself without repulsion.”

After reading this definition I now understand that Helga was explaining that for once she had gone to school with a sense of relief and just because someone was colored didn’t mean that others hated them or were disgusted.

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