1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocious
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
To secure a death sentence in Utah, prosecutors must demonstrate aggravating circumstances, such as that the crime was especially heinous or atrocious.
—Matthew Brown, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
To secure a death sentence in Utah, prosecutors must demonstrate aggravating circumstances, such as that the crime was especially heinous or atrocious.
—Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
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
To secure a death sentence in Utah, prosecutors must demonstrate aggravating circumstances, such as that the crime was especially heinous or atrocious.
—Matthew Brown, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
To secure a death sentence in Utah, prosecutors must demonstrate aggravating circumstances, such as that the crime was especially heinous or atrocious.
—Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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Magnano then fires nine shots toward Jones, who immediately collapses to the ground as people in the area could be heard letting out horrific screams and cries.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2026
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The trolling and harassment members of our community have endured in the past few days has been horrific.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So many terrible things happen that the reader develops a kind of flinch, bracing for the next calamity whenever there is a brief lull in the misery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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My actions were selfish; my actions were terrible.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Ayatollah ruled as a brutal dictator, killing and torturing his own people, imposing harsh restrictions on basic freedoms, and put the lives of our troops and global allies constantly at risk.—
Derek Tran,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
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Some shows would even include sound effects for a stabbing in a reenactment of a brutal murder.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The moment causes Byron, a selfish and braggadocious villain, to have a change of heart, stopping shipments of The Beauty and paying off the families ravaged by its gruesome side effects, like Bella’s.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
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The gruesome discovery would eventually lead authorities to a third woman, in her 80s, killed a few towns over, triggering a manhunt across several states and prompting a two-day closure of schools in Wayne County.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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After the horrible murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, legions of fans revisited to the director’s films, and this is one of his best.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
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But today, the building is in horrible shape.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That’s the cruel beauty of golf.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
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Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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News was spreading through the gym that Sage Hill had just upset Sierra Canyon 57-54 in Chatsworth in the other Open semifinal — one of the most shocking upsets in state basketball history.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Defense Department’s reliance on Anthropic’s AI came as a shocking realization that ultimately led to their dramatic schism, according to a top Pentagon official.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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My reaction was silence and determination to make sure common sense prevailed to make sure her senior son, Jake, a top pitcher who transferred from Palm Desert to Rancho Christian, had this continuing stress resolved after an already awful ordeal engulfed him and his parents for months.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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The bullpen…what are the Texas Rangers going to do about another potentially awful bullpen?—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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