horrible

[ hawr-uh-buhl, hor- ]

adjective

1. causing or tending to cause horror; shockingly dreadful:

   a horrible sight.

   Synonyms: repellent, horrendous, horrid, repulsive, revolting, shocking, ghastly, grim, hideous, frightful, appalling, awful, terrible

   Antonyms: attractive

2. extremely unpleasant; deplorable; disgusting:

   horrible living conditions.

horrible

/ ˈhɒrəbəl /

adjective

1. causing horror; dreadful
2. disagreeable; unpleasant
3. informal.
   cruel or unkind

Derived Forms

• ˈhorribleness, noun

Other Words From

• horri·ble·ness noun
• horri·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of horrible¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (h)orrible, from Old French, from Latin horribilis, equivalent to horr(ēre) “to stand on end, bristle with fear” + -ibilis -ible

Word History and Origins

Origin of horrible¹

C14: via Old French from Latin horribilis, from horrēre to tremble

Example Sentences

If we don’t want more homeless people on sidewalks, we have to invest in proposals like Measure A that stand a chance of resolving this horrible problem.

From Los Angeles Times

“This kind of completely unhinged, brutal and horrible reaction is inevitable in the conditions under which we live,” he said.

From Salon

In his new memoir, Boy from the Valleys: My Unexpected Journey, Evans describes how he was bullied at school because of his religion and sexuality and had a "horrible time".

From BBC

“We feel imprisoned here. There are no roads, it is horrible,” she explains.

From BBC

“It was horrible. We went back to the hotel and cried our eyes out and then I got a text saying we had an appointment at MD Anderson.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abhorrent
• abominable
• appalling
• awful
• cruel
• disgusting
• dreadful
• eerie
• frightful
• ghastly
• grim
• grisly
• gruesome
• heinous
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrid
• lousy
• nasty
• scandalous