horrid

adjective

hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd 

ˈhär-

1

: innately offensive or repulsive:

a

: inspiring horror : shocking

horrid living conditions

b

: inspiring disgust or loathing : nasty

a horrid man

c

: extremely bad or unpleasant : horrible

… the tenor bell … gives out a horrid discordant noise.

—Robert Graves

2

archaic : rough, bristling

horridly adverb

horridness noun

Synonyms of horrid

• horrible
• awful
• ugly
• disgusting
• hideous
• sickening
• dreadful
• shocking
• obnoxious
• obscene
• offensive
• nasty

Examples of horrid in a Sentence

People there are living in horrid conditions.

He's a horrid little man.

Recent Examples on the Web

The last thing Deion Sanders wants is for this to snowball into another horrid season, with a select few players not taking things seriously in the locker room. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

The average life expectancy was six weeks in horrid conditions. — Megan Shinn, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026

As excavations for the foundation got underway, bones and decomposing bodies were found, releasing a horrid odor and spreading yellow fever across the island. — Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026

Cantu’s wife, who heard her husband, then exits the home and comes to the horrid realization that her husband is dead or dying on the front yard. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin horridus "bristly, rough, uncouth, shivering with cold, inspiring dread," from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle (of hair, weapons, plants), shudder, shiver" + -idus, adjective suffix of quality — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for horrid

• florid
• torrid

Kids Definition

horrid

adjective

hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd 

ˈhär-

1

: inspiring horror : shocking

2

a

: arousing disgust : nasty

a horrid man

b

: horrible sense 2

had horrid manners

horridly adverb

horridness noun