atrocious

[ uh-troh-shuhs ]

adjective

1. extremely or shockingly wicked, cruel, or brutal:

   an atrocious crime.

   Synonyms: devilish, diabolic, monstrous, heinous, felonious

2. shockingly bad or tasteless; dreadful; abominable:

   an atrocious painting; atrocious manners.

   Synonyms: detestable, execrable

atrocious

/ əˈtrəʊʃəs /

adjective

1. extremely cruel or wicked; ruthless

   atrocious deeds

2. horrifying or shocking

   an atrocious road accident

3. informal.
   very bad; detestable

   atrocious writing

Derived Forms

• aˈtrociousness, noun
• aˈtrociously, adverb

Other Words From

• a·trocious·ly adverb
• a·trocious·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of atrocious¹

First recorded in 1660–70; atroci(ty) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of atrocious¹

C17: from Latin ātrōx dreadful, from āter black

Example Sentences

It’s no wonder that so many industries have atrocious cybersecurity.

From MIT Technology Review

Kyler Murray panicked often, refused to take easy yards on scrambles and flopped in his playoff debut, including an atrocious pick-six underhand fling from his own end zone.

From Washington Post

Those are epically atrocious numbers that demonstrate a continued downward trend over the last several decades.

From Outside Online

If someone is the same person that committed an atrocious crime, that person will correctly not be found suitable for release.

From Washington Post

Look around for reviews of these sport earbuds and you’ll find a surprising disparity between great and atrocious.

From Popular-Science

Condemning them obscures the larger message to be taken from this atrocious crime.

From The Daily Beast

Or maybe, just maybe, The Unauthorized Saved By the Bell is just plain atrocious.

From The Daily Beast

On spending and economic issues, he was atrocious and hypocritical in all the ways that a Republican can be.

From The Daily Beast

Plus, his remake history is a mixed bag, with the solid True Grit and the atrocious Oldboy.

From The Daily Beast

Republicans were caught off-guard all campaign long and their response was atrocious.

From The Daily Beast

It was fortunate for the Chancellor that the calumnies of which he was the object were too atrocious to be mischievous.

From Project Gutenberg

While visiting one of these, a low class trader arrived who had been guilty of atrocious conduct at Motito.

From Project Gutenberg

The Prince of Taranto, while speaking and acting like a cannibal, was following the inspiration of an atrocious policy.

From Project Gutenberg

Agnes was often a visitor at Bungay, and not a little shocked at the atrocious after-dinner talk of the Bungay Radicals.

From Project Gutenberg

But the atrocious comedy of conjugal love, of unwearying happiness, when for so long I had loved you and thought of you alone!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• appalling
• awful
• dreadful
• horrible
• horrid
• horrifying
• rotten
• terrible