horrid
Americanadjective
-
such as to cause horror; shockingly dreadful; abominable.
-
extremely unpleasant or disagreeable.
horrid weather; She thought her uncle was horrid.
- Synonyms:
- nasty, abominable, odious, vile
-
Archaic. shaggy or bristling; rough.
adjective
-
disagreeable; unpleasant
a horrid meal
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repulsive or frightening
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informal unkind
Usage
What does horrid mean? Horrid is popularly used to mean extremely bad—awful, dreadful, or horrible. 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 horrid experience there—bad food and even worse service.
Other Word Forms
- horridly adverb
- horridness noun
Etymology
Origin of horrid
1580–90; < Latin horridus bristling, rough, equivalent to horr- (stem of horrēre to stand on end, bristle) + -idus -id 4
Explanation
Horrid things are absolutely dreadful — they horrify or disgust you. A horrid dream can make you wake with a gasp and lie there with your heart pounding. You might cover your eyes during a particularly horrid scene in a scary movie, or skip past the horrid photos of a war zone in the newspaper. Things are also horrid when they're just plain bad: "That wallpaper in your bedroom is absolutely horrid." In the 1400s, horrid meant "hairy, shaggy, or bristling." The word stems from a Latin root, horrere, "to bristle with fear."
Vocabulary lists containing horrid
Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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"Macbeth": Act 1 Scene 7
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Ugh! Synonyms for "Gross"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That reduces China’s response time to a border flare-up and “pushes power projection in that horrid terrain,” Symon said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Risk is a "horrid word" according to the Wales head coach, who refused to acknowledge there was any risk in choosing England as friendly opponents.
From BBC • Oct. 9, 2025
Well-credentialed scientists were starting to worry about the long-term effects of carbon emissions, but the public was still more attuned to the unavoidable scenes of toxic water pollution and horrid air quality.
From Slate • Dec. 30, 2024
UCLA’s run game was horrid in the opener, gaining 24 yards in 13 carries if you take away quarterback Ethan Garbers’ scrambles.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024
“Mr. Poe is in charge of our affairs, and I’m sure if he knew how horrid Count Olaf is, he would take us right out of here.”
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
