horrible

adjective

hor·​ri·​ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl How to pronounce horrible (audio)
ˈhär-
1
: marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion : marked by or arousing horror
a horrible accident
2
: extremely bad or unpleasant
a horrible mistake
horrible food
horrible noun
horribleness noun
horribly adverb

Examples of horrible in a Sentence

He suffered a horrible death. The crime scene was too horrible to describe. The team had a horrible season last year. He realized that he had made a horrible mistake.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To be able to say that so many writers have been meaningful to you is not a horrible thing. John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025 If Flagg develops into the human triple double who leads the team to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his first six years, the trade can be called not a horrible deal. Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2025 The locale he’s holed up in isn’t horrible, either. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 June 2025 But yeah, it’s been both horrible and horrific and and heartening to see that our work is more important than ever. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for horrible

Word History

Etymology

Middle English orible, horrible, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin horribilis, from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle (of hair, weapons, plants), shudder, shiver" + -ibilis "capable of exhibiting or causing (the action of the verb)" — more at horror entry 1, -able

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrible was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrible. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

horrible

adjective
hor·​ri·​ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl How to pronounce horrible (audio)
ˈhär-
1
: marked by or arousing horror
2
: extremely unpleasant or bad
horrible food
horribly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on horrible

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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