horrible

adjective

hor·​ri·​ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl How to pronounce horrible (audio)
ˈhär-
1
: marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion : marked by or arousing horror
a horrible accident
2
: extremely bad or unpleasant
a horrible mistake
horrible food
horrible noun
horribleness noun
horribly adverb

Examples of horrible in a Sentence

He suffered a horrible death. The crime scene was too horrible to describe. The team had a horrible season last year. He realized that he had made a horrible mistake.
Recent Examples on the Web Remove Stains From Fabric If your carpets or upholstered furniture are attacked by something greasy, leaving a horrible, oily stain, shampoo is on standby to help you out. Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024 The weather was horrible and the studio had already sunk millions of dollars into the production. Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024 However, the circumstances that lead to those horrible shootings have increasingly become viewed from a new point of view — especially with more evidence now available. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024 My new boyfriend won’t take my advice about his difficult son Miss Manners: Is there a way to tell them this was a horrible gift for my kids? Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for horrible 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horrible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English orible, horrible, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin horribilis, from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle (of hair, weapons, plants), shudder, shiver" + -ibilis "capable of exhibiting or causing (the action of the verb)" — more at horror entry 1, -able

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrible was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near horrible

Cite this Entry

“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrible. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

horrible

adjective
hor·​ri·​ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl How to pronounce horrible (audio)
ˈhär-
1
: marked by or arousing horror
2
: extremely unpleasant or bad
horrible food
horribly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on horrible

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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