hideous

[ hid-ee-uhs ]

adjective

1. horrible or frightful to the senses; repulsive; very ugly:

   a hideous monster.

   Synonyms: ghastly, appalling, dreadful, monstrous, odious, detestable, repellent, grim, grisly

   Antonyms: attractive, pleasing

2. shocking or revolting to the moral sense:

   a hideous crime.

   Synonyms: ghastly, appalling, dreadful, monstrous, odious, detestable, repellent, grim, grisly

3. distressing; appalling:

   the hideous expense of moving one's home to another city.

hideous

/ ˌhɪdɪˈɒsɪtɪ; ˈhɪdɪəs /

adjective

1. extremely ugly; repulsive

   a hideous person

2. terrifying and horrific

Derived Forms

• ˈhideously, adverb
• ˈhideousness, noun

Other Words From

• hide·ous·ly adverb
• hide·ous·ness hid·e·os·i·ty [hid-ee-, os, -i-tee], noun
• un·hide·ous adjective
• un·hide·ous·ly adverb
• un·hide·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hideous¹

1275–1325; Middle English hidous < Old French hisdos, equivalent to hisde horror, fright (perhaps < Old High German *egisida, akin to egisôn, agison to frighten) + -os -ous; suffix later assimilated to -eous

Word History and Origins

Origin of hideous¹

C13: from Old French hisdos, from hisde fear; of uncertain origin

Related Words

• abominable
• appalling
• awful
• disgusting
• dreadful
• frightful
• ghastly
• grim
• grisly
• gruesome
• hateful
• horrendous
• horrid
• macabre
• monstrous
• nasty
• odious
• repulsive
• revolting
• shocking