1
as in ugly
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
the hideous way in which she treated her maid after she discovered her ring was missing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a hideous crime that could not be fully described in the newspapers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in grotesque
unpleasant to look at
wearing a hideous Halloween mask that made the kids all jump with fright
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hideous
The hideous prospect of interviewing for jobs even more pointless than this one appears before me.
—
Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
All our buildings are these hideous rectangles.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Unfortunately, their appearance is so hideous to ordinary flesh-and-blood creatures that looking at a Medusan is liable to induce madness and death.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
The noise is hideous, but the pollution is much worse.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hideous
Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
All our buildings are these hideous rectangles.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Unfortunately, their appearance is so hideous to ordinary flesh-and-blood creatures that looking at a Medusan is liable to induce madness and death.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
The noise is hideous, but the pollution is much worse.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hideous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hideous
Adjective
-
Lemieux was 37, and had a reputation as one of those players who knew where to be, and when, around the ugly areas on the ice in a playoff game.—
Mac Engel
May 29,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
-
We, viewers and voters, are subjected to very ugly photographs and rhetoric.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
With Chubb and Phillips still on the mend from gruesome injuries the year prior, the then-rookie was thought to be the heir apparent.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
-
The case has been widely reported by China’s heavily state censored media for the gruesome details of how Xu plotted the murder.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The contemporary entertainment industry pushes that logic into nearly grotesque territory, as film and TV productions compete against 24/7 internet feeds and a rapidly changing meme dialect designed to always leave someone out of the loop.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
-
Why Evolution Favored Crocodiles’ Violent Strategy To us, crocodiles’ hunting strategy looks grotesque to the point of excess.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The president announced the work in April during an unrelated Oval Office appearance, saying he was inspired by complaints from a friend visiting from Germany who called the pool dark and disgusting.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Seeing a game get shipped off to a foreign land for no good reason is even more disgusting.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Not just their physical injuries, horrific in themselves.—
Susan Rona,
Time,
1 June 2026
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Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
The remarks not only referred to the aesthetics of the game – tedious matches devoid of skillful merit that were unpleasing to watch.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
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Usually a team of elegant offense, Michigan instead clanked 13 triples off the rim and relied on its inside defensive ferocity to win a game nearly as aesthetically unpleasing as UConn’s 53-41 win over Butler in 2011.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His slugging percentage is horrible.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
Some of it had to do with horrible tragedy, some because hopefuls could not see the math working out for them.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Where the movie’s true eccentricity comes in is in its combination of breezy comedy with shocking brutality and gore, perhaps most exemplified in an oddly casual moment in a morgue where Seagal and Wayans find a clue in the form of a serial number on a dead woman’s breast implant.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
5 June 2026
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Crayton said that the decision to allow Alabama to ignore the lower court’s ruling was shocking.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hideous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hideous. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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