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
The weather was fairly atrocious for much of my road driving in the RS5, with a mix of rain and late May snow at altitude.
—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
And as engineer and tech investor Ben Pouladian told the WSJ, the vibes around Grok are atrocious.
—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
14 May 2026
Reed’s victims relished a chance at payback when the writer tried his hand at acting in the atrocious 1970 film adaptation of Gore Vidal’s novel Myra Breckinridge.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
In other words, atrocious starts have ruined the Sox’s season before anyone had a chance to get excited.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
And as engineer and tech investor Ben Pouladian told the WSJ, the vibes around Grok are atrocious.
—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
14 May 2026
Reed’s victims relished a chance at payback when the writer tried his hand at acting in the atrocious 1970 film adaptation of Gore Vidal’s novel Myra Breckinridge.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
In other words, atrocious starts have ruined the Sox’s season before anyone had a chance to get excited.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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Chicago city officials have never forgotten the lessons of the historic and horrific heat wave of July 1995, which killed 739 people in the Chicago area.
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Many of these countries are well known for horrific human rights abuses, lack of justice and abysmal detention conditions.
Adjective
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The production quality was terrible.
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But in May of 1943, a terrible fire burned his studio to the ground.
Adjective
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The New York Mets are in disarray thanks to a brutal start to what was supposed to be a promising season.
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In 1972, a year after a brutal conflict—one in which India helped with the rebirth of the eastern wing of Pakistan as Bangladesh—New Delhi and Islamabad concluded an agreement that resumed limited trade.
Adjective
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The men escape, but their frantic exit leads them through the gruesome Terminus food-supply dungeon, where fresh corpses hang on meathooks.
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With two gruesome losses, meanwhile, Tunisia — Netherlands’ foe Thursday at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium — has been eliminated already and cannot advance to the knockout round, no matter the outcome in KC.
Adjective
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The Red Sox offense has been horrible this season, but Contreras has been everything the club could have hoped for.
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Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.
Adjective
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Swift moved on from one Brit to the next, quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to 2023, while the world spent back-to-back cruel summers without Taymerica.
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This is particularly gratifying given the absurd and cruel trolling the young actress received from the toxic corners of internet fandom leading up to the film’s release.
Adjective
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The 29-year-old began her comeback Saturday at the American Classic in Champlin, Minnesota, just days after announcing her shocking return to the sport.
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Cape Verde earned three draws in the group stage – the shocking Spain result, running with Uruguay in the second match and ending up in a scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia in Houston on Friday.
Adjective
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Messi shook off his awful spot kick to deliver another match-winning masterclass against Austria and become the competition’s all-time top scorer in the process.
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But the Windows handheld software experience on the Claw is just awful compared to the straightforwardness of SteamOS on the Steam Deck.
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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