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 of hideous

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

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

Such is a snarky line that Emily Blunt delivers as Emily Charlton in The Devil Wears Prada, a character who would rather faint than wear something hideous. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2026

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