horrible

play

adjective hor·ri·ble \ ˈhȯr-ə-bəl , ˈhär- \

Definition of horrible

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

play \ˈhȯr-ə-blē, ˈhär-\ adverb

See horrible defined for English-language learners

See horrible defined for kids

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 of horrible from the Web

Sunday, September 9, 1900, revealed one of the most horrible sights that ever a civilized people looked upon.

— olivia b. waxman, Time, "How Texas Rebuilt After the Deadliest Hurricane in U.S. History," 29 Aug. 2017
Frazier originally saw the horrible photos of Abigail online and immediately took her in, nursing her back to health.

— michelle darrisaw, Southern Living, "The Powerful Story Behind This Headband-Wearing Dog Will Move You to Tears," 29 Aug. 2017
Suicide Squad largely bungled the Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship—a twisted, obsessive, complicated bond, both gripping and horrible—by romanticizing it.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Can TV’s New Favorite Producers Save Warner Bros.’ Most Maligned Franchise?," 24 Aug. 2017
He was also sacked twice, picked off once on a horrible throw that was nullified by a defensive penalty, and ran five times for 35 yards, including a 1-yard sneak for a TD to cash in on Jason McCourty's strip.

— mary kay cabot, cleveland.com, "Browns' Hue Jackson on QB decision: 'I feel pretty good about where I am'," 22 Aug. 2017
In other words, for West, each year is more horrible than the next.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "When Every Republican Is a Crypto-Nazi," 21 Aug. 2017
Over the weekend, the most horrible news rocked Dylan Sprouse fans to their core.

— noelle devoe, Seventeen, "Dylan Sprouse Speaks Out After His Ex-Girlfriend Dayna Frazer Accused Him of Cheating," 16 Aug. 2017
The U.S. government uses the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to justify the imprisonment of millions of Americans in horrible conditions in order to use prison labor for profit.

— lara witt, Harper's BAZAAR, "White Liberals Still Don’t Understand White Supremacy," 16 Aug. 2017
Daenerys Targaryen's elite Unsullied troops managed to sneak in and conquer Casterly Rock without having to climb its walls on horrible ladders.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "How to Storm a Castle," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'horrible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of horrible

Middle English orrible, horrible, from Anglo-French, from Latin horribilis, from horrēre

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

horrible Synonyms

Synonyms

appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome (also grewsome), hideous, horrendous, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific

Antonyms

innocuous, inoffensive

Near Antonyms

agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome; cheering, comforting, soothing

HORRIBLE Defined for English Language Learners

horrible

play

adjective

Definition of horrible for English Language Learners

: causing horror : very shocking and upsetting
: very bad or unpleasant

HORRIBLE Defined for Kids

horrible

play

adjective hor·ri·ble \ ˈhȯr-ə-bəl \

Definition of horrible for Students

1 :causing horror :terrible

a horrible crash

2 :very unpleasant

a horrible smell

—

horribly

\-blē\ adverb

Learn More about horrible

See words that rhyme with horrible Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for horrible Spanish Central: Translation of horrible Nglish: Translation of horrible for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of horrible for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up horrible? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

horrible

Definition of horrible

horrible

horribleness

horribly

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of horrible in a Sentence

Recent Examples of horrible from the Web

Origin and Etymology of horrible

horrible Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

HORRIBLE Defined for English Language Learners

horrible

Definition of horrible for English Language Learners

HORRIBLE Defined for Kids

horrible

Definition of horrible for Students

horribly

Learn More about horrible

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066