1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocious
So, yes, the offense was atrocious at Tuesday’s close, with Herro enduring a second consecutive shooting struggle, now 10 for 32 in his last two.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026
Alesia overfilled the pans, which means the muffins look atrocious.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026
Schein directs the show with tongue firmly planted in cheek, so there are many amusing sight gags (like an atrocious comb-over wig).
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Silence in the face of such brutalities and atrocious crimes is not an option.
—Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026
Alesia overfilled the pans, which means the muffins look atrocious.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026
Schein directs the show with tongue firmly planted in cheek, so there are many amusing sight gags (like an atrocious comb-over wig).
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Silence in the face of such brutalities and atrocious crimes is not an option.
—Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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To the stories and history of his grandparents in the El Salvador of the 1980s when a horrific civil war raged.—
Sara Sidner,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
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The now-notorious Gosselin family of Jon & Kate Plus 8 was secular to the point of the titular couple divorcing, and multiple Gosselin children have since leveled horrific allegations of abuse against their mother.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Even if the football this summer is terrible, plenty of the teams are going to look great.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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In the 1970s-1980s, all the agricultural talk in the Mississippi Delta was whether the boll weevil would be terrible or just awful this coming fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Auer, as Betty, offers a fleet, brutal portrait of a mother moving through grief, weepily passing from denial to acceptance.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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That’s more than a third of the opening games breaking in favor of the lower-seeded team — a brutal stretch for anyone trying to build a flawless bracket.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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After a meeting with one of them goes horribly wrong, Devlin and her publicist Sylvie, another a victim of Hollywood’s censure, find revenge offers a unique albeit gruesome ingredient for Glob’s products.—
Paula L. Woods,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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Detective Alex Cross and FBI Agent Kayla Craig (Tal) led a new joint mission to protect Durand and find the killer, who left behind gruesome clues.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The point was to reduce the horrible pelvic pain caused by her endometriosis (a condition in which estrogen-reliant endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus).—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
20 Mar. 2026
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Continue reading … JOHN KOUFOS — California’s get-out-of-jail-free card could put children at risk of horrible violence.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The stalemate stems from Democrats’ insistence on immigration-enforcement reform — particularly, the cruel and often erroneous enforcement that is sending shockwaves of fear throughout immigrant populations and even distressing American-citizen residents of Puerto Rico.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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Shaw called the revelation an appalling and cruel irony.—
Stephanie Elam,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The season cancellation on March 19 comes after TMZ published a shocking video showing the 2023 violent altercation with Paul, seen yelling, hitting, kicking and throwing furniture at Mortensen while a child is heard crying.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
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Garcia said the shocking allegations became public at a time when many Mexican Americans are seeing immigration arrests ripping families apart, people afraid to leave their homes, immigrants in prolonged detention and some dying in immigration custody.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In the 1970s-1980s, all the agricultural talk in the Mississippi Delta was whether the boll weevil would be terrible or just awful this coming fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
After a week of awful basketball, Minnesota led the NBA’s reigning champions – and favorites to repeat – by nine in the third quarter Sunday in Oklahoma City.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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