horrendous

adjective

hor·​ren·​dous hȯ-ˈren-dəs 

hä-, 

hə-

: extremely bad or unpleasant : horrible, dreadful

His audition was horrendous.

horrendous crimes

horrendously adverb

Synonyms of horrendous

• horrible
• terrifying
• terrible
• formidable
• frightening
• scary

Examples of horrendous in a Sentence

Her taste in clothes is horrendous.

a horrendous explosion shook the building

Recent Examples on the Web

If your grout isn't horrendous with dirt or stains, this might be a great cleaner for brightening the lines. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 25 June 2026

This horrendous act leads a grieving but determined Ruthye to Kara Zor-El, dead set on exacting revenge for the killings and using our Supergirl to help get her to the culprit. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 24 June 2026

There had been a day of split-fleet racing on the Sunday of the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in February, as a response to the horrendous crash in Auckland between the New Zealand and the French F50s. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Quote of the Day The words from Canada manager Jesse Marsch after his player Ismaël Koné suffered a horrendous injury in the co-host’s 6-0 win against Qatar yesterday. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin horrendus "inspiring terror or awe, dreadful" (gerundive of horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver") + -ous — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for horrendous

• stupendous
• tremendous
• rendus

Kids Definition

horrendous

adjective

hor·​ren·​dous hȯ-ˈren-dəs 

hä-, 

hə-

: dreadful, horrible

horrendously adverb