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

“We have horrible, disgusting, dangerous, filthy encampments of junkies and homeless people living in places that our children used to play Little League baseball, which they don’t get to play very much anymore, do they?”

From Los Angeles Times

Together, Trump said in his statement, the two men would take on “the illness industrial complex, and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.”

From Los Angeles Times

“She had written horrible things during the entire trial. She’s dead now, thank goodness, and nobody has to put up with that c**p she was writing all the time.”

From Salon

Which does not mean he’s not a horrible, fanatical person.

From Los Angeles Times

These two arcs come together in a stunning climax, revealing that the film is both historical and autobiographical, drawing on a horrible, little-known tragedy from Selvaraj’s own childhood.

From New York Times

Related Words

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

More About Horrible

What does horrible mean?

Horrible is popularly used to mean extremely bad—awful, dreadful, or horrendous.

When it’s used to describe a person, it often means extremely disagreeable or cruel.

Much less commonly, it can mean literally causing horror—horrifying or horrific.

Example: Everyone seems to like that restaurant, but I had a horrible experience there—bad food and even worse service.

Where does horrible come from?

The first records of the word horrible come from around 1300. It comes from the Latin horribilis, which ultimately derives from the Latin verb horrēre, meaning “to tremble” or “to bristle with fear” (a reference to one’s hair standing on end due to extreme fear). Horrēre is also the basis of the word horror and the related words horrific, horrifying, and horrid.

Horrible is most popularly used to simply mean “really bad,” in much the same way that terrible and awful are often used, as in I had a horrible time at that party—no one would talk to me! Sometimes, though, horrible means truly horrific or horrifying, as in In my 30 years on the job, I’ve never seen a crime scene more horrible than this. Real-life horror-like violence can be described as horrible, but you wouldn’t call a horror movie horrible to mean it was really scary—you’d probably call it horrifying or terrifying. If it was really stupid and poorly made, though, then you could call it horrible. (Unless it was so bad that it was good, in which case you might call it terrific!)

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to horrible?

• horribly (adverb)
• horribleness (noun)

What are some synonyms for horrible?

• terrible
• awful
• dreadful
• horrid
• horrendous

What are some words that share a root or word element with horrible? 

 

• horror
• horrific
• horrify
• horrifying

What are some words that often get used in discussing horrible?

 

• bad
• day
• weather
• person
• movie
• unpleasant

How is horrible used in real life?

The word horrible is always negative, but it’s commonly used in both serious and not-so-serious contexts.

"It's the cold fish dying in your stomach feeling. You try to forget about it, but as soon as you do, the fish starts flopping around under your heart and reminds you that something truly horrible is happening."

― Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being (2013) pic.twitter.com/WWbkvio1Cj

— Is it quotable? (@isitquotable) July 24, 2020

Nothing annoys me more than when a book I love becomes a movie and it’s horrible 😒

— samantha kate (@sammyvanriper) June 27, 2020

This horrible weather is making me want to stay in my pjs & hide away all day 🌚🌚

— laur (@LaurynBeck) June 30, 2020

 

 

Try using horrible!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of horrible?

A. awful
B. terrible
C. lousy
D. delightful