ATROCIOUS Synonyms: 199 Similar and Opposite Words

atrocious

adjective

ə-ˈtrō-shəs

Definition of atrocious

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

as in terrible

extremely unsatisfactory the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in brutal

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of atrocious The Leeds forward line was helped by Newcastle’s atrocious defending and another weak clearance led to a fourth goal after 59 minutes, Noah Okafor slapping his low strike through a sea of legs into the far corner. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 Stewart, Why are Fox, CBS, & NBC allowing the Big Ten to have an atrocious week of scheduling? — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 The trailers looked awful, with a predictably sloppy anti-hero feel, atrocious visual effects, and an uninteresting plot and villain. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 The heat was punishing, the aesthetic was strictly corporate and the soccer itself was deeply atrocious. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for atrocious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious

Adjective

There’s a slickness to the carnage that rubs uncomfortably against the film’s humanist ethos, rendering artificial (for all Shen Teng’s trembling and mouth-contorting labors) the horrific tragedies that befall its characters.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
What happened to you was horrific, and there is nothing that any of us can say today that will make this any easier.

— Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of horrific

Adjective

And then none of it mattered because his special teams bailed him out with a big kick return (thanks to a terrible decision by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to even allow a kick return in the first place) followed by a walk-off field goal.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
The story follows the transformation of Adriana (Colin), a woman shattered by a terrible murder and who discovers the strength to start over, driven by an unquenchable thirst for justice.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is fighting for his job security after a brutal start to the season.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
There’s the brutal heat; the skin destroying UV-rays of that miserable, scorching, eye-blinding sun; the constant allergy/sinusitis issues that NEVER let up; the smothering humidity.

— R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

Against the backdrop of a gruesome day, the Hebrew-language movie unfolds individual emotions and lives both before and during the attack, everyday problems of course not stopping with the tragedy, just interacting with it.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
For centuries, this scene has been believed to show Harold’s gruesome end.

— Alicja Zelazko, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of gruesome

Adjective

Despite the identically horrible records, these teams are in different places.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026
In all, the Dodgers drowned out that horrible tomahawk chop with some mighty hacks of their own, winning 3-1 while finally displaying some of the desperation that had been missing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

The offbeat, cruel cadence of the bit reminded me of classic Update Norm Macdonald.

— Charu Sinha, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026
The misery of the situation could feel overwhelming, even cruel, but Cahyono’s observation of Sumiati’s struggles is humane and sympathetic.

— Kambole Campbell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

When Moore left the game after an awful hit from a USC linebacker, Raiola stepped up and looked even better.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
But coming off the back of that, there was all of this legislation that was pretty awful and generally, there were a lot of homophobic attitudes, still quite extreme, even as late as the 1990s.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of awful

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atrium

atrocious

atrociously

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“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of atrocious

adjective

Example Sentences

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