horrid

adjective

hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd 

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 noise.

—Robert Graves

2

archaic : rough, bristling

horridly adverb

horridness noun

Synonyms of horrid

• horrible
• awful
• ugly
• disgusting
• hideous
• sickening
• dreadful
• shocking
• obnoxious
• obscene
• offensive
• nasty

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 image in the news of a column of smoke rising above the city of Tehran — an abyss of darkness against the gray sky — arrests my attention. —Babak Rahimi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026

Within six more days a horrid newspaper man learned the story. —Eric Mandel, AJC.com, 13 Apr. 2026

No one’s going to be stuck in a hand-over-hand situation like in a Tesla, with its horrid implementation of a yoke. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Apr. 2026

And the bumbling nature of Lesgate, with Jones playing the internal conflicts sharply, comes with succumbing to the horrid nature of what money can bring. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for horrid

• florid
• torrid

Kids Definition

horrid

adjective

hor·​rid ˈhȯr-əd 

ˈhär-

1

: inspiring horror : shocking

2

a

: arousing disgust : nasty

a horrid man

b

: horrible sense 2

had horrid manners

horridly adverb

horridness noun