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 horrible
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
The rare exception to this, in recent memory, is The Wheel Of Time, which got better each season and came out with a pretty great Season 3, whereupon Amazon cancelled it to keep the atrocious Rings Of Power alive.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
This erasure, the novel seems to imply, is part of what allows Agu to perform atrocious acts of violence and murder.
—Katie Kitamura
august 21, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
After two mediocre 2000s film featuring Marvel’s legendary superhero family, and an atrocious third outing in 2015, the foursome makes its Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in a combo sci-fi/disaster flick full of retrofuturistic 1960s flavor.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 July 2025
One of the cameras recorded the murder, finally revealing what happened and who committed the atrocious act.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
This erasure, the novel seems to imply, is part of what allows Agu to perform atrocious acts of violence and murder.
—Katie Kitamura
august 21, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
After two mediocre 2000s film featuring Marvel’s legendary superhero family, and an atrocious third outing in 2015, the foursome makes its Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in a combo sci-fi/disaster flick full of retrofuturistic 1960s flavor.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 July 2025
One of the cameras recorded the murder, finally revealing what happened and who committed the atrocious act.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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Right-wing politicians have long used horrific crime stories – particularly those featuring Black suspects and White victims – to make broader criticisms of Democrats as soft on crime.—
Wesley Bruer,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
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The surveillance footage of the horrific attack was released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) over the weekend, FOX News reported.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The horrible accident — later determined to be caused by pilot error — remains the deadliest plane crash in Charlotte history.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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But then came a horrible deep-ball attempt intended for Stefon Diggs that Isaiah Pola-Mao intercepted.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Take the quiz here … KICKED TO THE CURB – Super Bowl hero cut from 49ers roster after brutal Week 1 performance.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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While released, Horton committed another horrific crime – a brutal home invasion and rape.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But everything changes when a string of gruesome killings—which grow increasingly bizarre, with victims covered in rashes and found in deranged, violent states—involves his young daughter Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee).—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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TikTok prohibits gory, gruesome or extremely violent clips.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Overall, this wasn’t a terrible episode, but having our heroes start in the UK and then end up in Spain in the first episode felt rushed and wasteful.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Both men are good, both men are bad and both men have made terrible mistakes.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The cruel irony is that the very systems designed to promote inclusion can inadvertently reinforce exclusion.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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And of course, to serve as cruel juxtaposition, deGrom retired the Mets in order in the bottom of the inning on just six pitches.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Chicago Bears suffered a shocking Week 1 loss, blowing a 17-6 fourth quarter lead at home against the division rival Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Iryna was killed while sitting peacefully, an innocent life taken in a shocking and brutal way.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But one other thing Reclaim does is show just how awful the Portal system is.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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How the Dolphins grow from such an awful performance will be paramount.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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