horrible

adjective

hor·​ri·​ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl How to pronounce horrible (audio)
ˈhär-
Synonyms of horriblenext
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.
Every festival has had to think about questions being pushed over the last few years, with horrible wars going on in in Ukraine and in Gaza and elsewhere, and a lot of political movements building up around them, and with a lot of political pressure on cultural events, including film festivals. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Mar. 2026 The unranked Horns have seven Quad 1 wins, which will play well with the NCAA selection committee, but have picked a horrible time to play some of their worst ball. Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 9 Mar. 2026 During the course of the film, Grace deals with life, love (including a pair of paramours from the same band), professional disappointments, and the fallout of a horrible experience from her past. Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2026 After the horrible murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, legions of fans revisited to the director’s films, and this is one of his best. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026 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 11 Mar. 2026.

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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster