A character in a story that’s designed to be disliked
A Hate Sink is a character in a story crafted specifically to be despised. This character’s every move is designed to provoke the anger of the audience, intensifying their hatred for them.
Creating such a character is a strategy used by storytellers to engage the audience. By making a character the audience deeply dislikes, they keep the audience hooked, eagerly awaiting the moment when the character faces retribution.
Readers, viewers or listeners who are aggravated by a Hate Sink tend to follow the story closely. Their aim is to witness this loathed character’s downfall, and hopefully, their severe punishment. This is similar to the concept of hate-watching.
However, in the case of a Hate Sink, the story isn’t necessarily bad. It’s just that one particular character that the audience despises. Well-known examples of Hate Sinks can be found in many popular narratives.
Example for using ‘Hate Sink’ in a conversation
Hey, have you seen the new superhero movie?
Yeah, I watched it last night. Loved it!
Me too! But there was this one character I couldn’t stand.
Oh, you mean the villain? They were so evil!
No, not the villain. It’s called a ‘Hate Sink’. They’re purposely written to be hated.
Oh, I get it. Like that annoying sidekick who always messes things up?
Exactly! They did everything to make us despise them.
Well, I guess they succeeded. I couldn’t wait for them to fail.
Related Slang Words You Might Be Interested In
| Slang | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Seggs | Seggs equals Sex |
| IMY | I miss you |
| B1G1 | Buy one, get one |
| BHM | Black History Month |
| Bup | Backup Plan |