horrid

adjective

hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd How to pronounce horrid (audio)
ˈhär-
1
: innately offensive or repulsive:
a
: inspiring horror : shocking
horrid living conditions
b
: inspiring disgust or loathing : nasty
a horrid man
c
: extremely bad or unpleasant : horrible
the tenor bell … gives out a horrid discordant noiseRobert Graves
2
archaic : rough, bristling
horridly adverb
horridness noun

Examples of horrid in a Sentence

People there are living in horrid conditions. He's a horrid little man.
Recent Examples on the Web The horrid debates about whether rape occurred on October 7 were an argument over recognition. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024 Still, the conditions are horrid across the facility, according to interviews with more than a half-dozen defense lawyers and a review of court documents. Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 18 Sep. 2024 Then, an absolutely horrid third-quarter stretch snowballed as the Phoenix Mercury came roaring back to defeat the Sparks 85-81, handing them their eighth consecutive loss, tying a franchise record to close out their home schedule. Andrés Soto, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024 Munro often wrote about women who, upon learning the horrid things the men in their lives were capable of, still forgave them, remained by their sides. Rebecca Makkai, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for horrid 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horrid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin horridus "bristly, rough, uncouth, shivering with cold, inspiring dread," from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle (of hair, weapons, plants), shudder, shiver" + -idus, adjective suffix of quality — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrid was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near horrid

Cite this Entry

“Horrid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrid. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

horrid

adjective
hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd How to pronounce horrid (audio)
ˈhär-
1
: inspiring horror : shocking
2
a
: arousing disgust : nasty
a horrid man
b
: horrible sense 2
had horrid manners
horridly adverb
horridness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on horrid

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