horrid

adjective

hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd How to pronounce horrid (audio)
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 noiseRobert Graves
2
archaic : rough, bristling
horridly adverb
horridness noun

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 Bucks defensive rating was a horrid 117.8 when Adrian Griffin was fired on January 23rd, according to Cleaning the Glass, and ranked 21st in the NBA. Brian Sampson, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The team showed great resilience after that horrid start, reaching the postseason and doing a fair amount of damage in the playoffs. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024 Nurkic defended him without fouling and the Lakers were horrid from 3, but this is what frustrates us mere mortals about Davis. Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 12 Jan. 2024 The offense was horrid last week, a good sign for a Tampa Bay team needing a victory. Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024 Last Updated: Live Coverage Feed 4 min ago Binance has endured a horrid 2023. Angus Berwick, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2023 There were colors, jungle greens and browns, and that horrid noise — that blurring Matrix phone. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023 Stick found himself in an immediate 7-0 hole to a horrid offensive team. San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Dec. 2023 My wife hanging on to the console, the boat bucking in a horrid blow, lightning crackling. The Editors, Field & Stream, 23 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horrid.' 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrid was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near horrid

Cite this Entry

“Horrid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrid. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

horrid

adjective
hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd How to pronounce horrid (audio)
ˈhär-
1
: inspiring horror : shocking
2
a
: arousing disgust : nasty
a horrid man
b
: horrible sense 2
had horrid manners
horridly adverb
horridness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on horrid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!