1
: offensive to the senses and especially to sight : exceedingly ugly
hideous furniture
The dress looked hideous on her.
2
: morally offensive : shocking
a hideous crime
hid·eos·i·ty
ˌhidēˈäsətē 
plural -es
: a hideous thing : hideousness
the high-water mark of hideosity—
Architectural Review
Architectural Reviewthis vile incrustation of hideosities—Daniel Wickenden
Daniel WickendenExamples of hideous in a Sentence
Adjective
The room was filled with hideous furniture.
the hideous way in which she treated her maid after she discovered her ring was missing
Recent Examples on the Web
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
This is a hideous colour, the sort that shouldn’t be seen anywhere other than on someone helping kids cross the road near a school.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Supposedly the poem was inspired by a peyote-vision where the edifice of San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel was transformed into a hideous, twisted, demonic visage, which inspired the beating heart of Howl’s second section.
—
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
This used to be a death knell—the shoes that fit the bill were hideous until a few years ago.
—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hideous
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Adjective
Everyone's favorite hideous ogre and delusional donkey are finally reunited.
—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
This is a hideous colour, the sort that shouldn’t be seen anywhere other than on someone helping kids cross the road near a school.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Supposedly the poem was inspired by a peyote-vision where the edifice of San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel was transformed into a hideous, twisted, demonic visage, which inspired the beating heart of Howl’s second section.
—
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
This used to be a death knell—the shoes that fit the bill were hideous until a few years ago.
—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hideous
Cite this Entry
“Hideous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hideous. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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