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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocious
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
Miami’s run defense was atrocious last season.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
Most Idaho politicians are atrocious.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
Miami’s run defense was atrocious last season.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2026
Most Idaho politicians are atrocious.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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Pregnancy was an offense punishable by death in the camps, yet all three women managed to survive horrific conditions, give birth and keep their newborns alive through seemingly impossible twists of fate and luck.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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His cinema verite style powerfully exposed the horrific inhumanity of public institutions (like hospitals, schools and housing projects) supposedly created to help people.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The question was about the student section’s harassment of former Spartan Xavier Booker, which seemed like a legitimate query considering Booker had a terrible game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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The move was expected because Hill, who played for the Chiefs from 2016-‘21 before being traded to the Dolphins, is recovering from a terrible knee injury.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The regime accused protesters of being Israeli spies and deployed the brutal local paramilitary Basij force to suppress demonstrations which were sparked by poor economic conditions but transformed into calls for regime change.—
Farida Elsebai,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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Olivia, Bailey’s mother, was really Kate Smith, and her father was Nicholas Bell (David Morse), famous mob lawyer for The Syndicate, or The Organization, a group notorious for crimes and brutal retaliation against their enemies.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And Margot Robbie gives the character a sharpness, an agency that’s a relief from the wilting Catherines of yore — which actually makes her ultimate gruesome fate feel that much more tragic.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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Prisoners endured frequent selections, some by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known for his gruesome experiments on camp inmates.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And for the next year its law enforcement members were hailed as heroes for their efforts that prevented a horrible situation from becoming even worse.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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There’s nary a crease to be seen in Bina Daigeler’s costumes, all covetable, unapproachable and tailored to the gods; Matthew Herbert’s score may be among the lushest ever slathered over such horrible goings-on.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, sought to show that his past had formed him, but there was a cruel irony in the reference.—
Gaby Wood,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2026
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Many of these schools are impossibly competitive – impossibly and fantastically cruel.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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While Dunk emerged victorious in the trial, the battle was not without bloodshed and deaths, including a shocking one no one saw coming.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
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Saturday’s loss was neither KU’s biggest home loss, nor the most shocking, of the Self era.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And not this awful thing that happens again.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
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The Padres were mostly woeful for a decade before Preller’s arrival and wholly awful the first five seasons under his direction.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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