horrific

adjective

hor·​rif·​ic hȯ-ˈri-fik 

hä-

: having the power to horrify

a horrific account of the tragedy

horrifically

hȯ-ˈri-fi-k(ə-)lē 

hä-

adverb

Synonyms of horrific

• gruesome
• shocking
• horrible
• terrible
• nightmare
• horrifying
• frightening

Examples of horrific in a Sentence

horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously

Recent Examples on the Web

There are some horrific trade packages out there from teams seeking to acquire Leonard for pennies on the dollar. — Law Murray, New York Times, 30 June 2026

The film has a very avant-garde style, with images melting into one another to to give the horrific tale a hazy, dreamlike logic. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026

Gerardi and his horrific murder have remained relevant in the decades since. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

Lasko suffered the injury during a horrific collision in a game earlier this week. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French horrifique, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin horrificus "inspiring awe or dread, frightening," from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver" + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for horrific

• pacific
• prolific
• salvific
• specific
• terrific
• calorific
• conspecific
• hieroglyphic
• honorific
• nonspecific
• scientific
• soporific