hideous

adjective

hid·​eous ˈhi-dē-əs 

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

hideosity

ˌhi-dē-ˈä-sə-tē 

noun

hideously adverb

hideousness noun

Synonyms

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

Examples of hideous in a Sentence

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

Luthor combats Superman through a combination of science and technology — injecting nanobot GPS trackers into Superman’s bloodstream — using methods that recall the hideous Covid manipulation. —Armond White, National Review, 11 July 2025

The dark edge in Bushnell’s writing reflects less a brave new world than a world that is the hideous extension of the old one. —Alice Bolin june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025

One function of bug poems is to remind us that messier and more hideous relations always obtain. —Hannah Brooks-Motl june 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025

An alarming situation looked all the more hideous as boos rained down at Dodger Stadium for the club’s fourth straight loss. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 20 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English hidous, from Anglo-French hidus, hisdos, from Old French hisde, hide terror

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hideous

• fastidious
• insidious
• invidious

Kids Definition

hideous

adjective

hid·​eous ˈhid-ē-əs 

: horribly ugly or disgusting : frightful

hideously adverb

hideousness noun