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
According to Greek mythology, anyone who looks upon the hideous Medusa turns to stone.
—
Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
When her rival, Poot’s Thea, arrives underdressed, Hedda forces her into a hideous frock with fussy bows and an ungainly skirt.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
The Jets did precious little against the hideous Dallas defense and, on the other side of the ball, allowed scoring drives of 90 and 91 yards.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
One of the most hideous of the victim/perps is Jennifer McCabe.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hideous
Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
When her rival, Poot’s Thea, arrives underdressed, Hedda forces her into a hideous frock with fussy bows and an ungainly skirt.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
The Jets did precious little against the hideous Dallas defense and, on the other side of the ball, allowed scoring drives of 90 and 91 yards.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
One of the most hideous of the victim/perps is Jennifer McCabe.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hideous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hideous
Adjective
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Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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Sure, coach Mike Tomlin's teams tend to win ugly games, but not in the playoffs — at least not lately.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Von had been Trump-friendly before the gruesome and heartbreaking videos of the ICE raids targeting working immigrants started going viral on social media.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
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Daniels suffered his gruesome non-throwing-arm injury during the fourth quarter of Week 9's blowout loss to the Seahawks.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The grotesque charade didn’t seem to belong to this world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
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Dazzled by their self-image as humanity’s philanthropic guides, they were doomed to reprise the grotesque logic of slave camps under the flag of freedom.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
By modern standards, kind of disgusting.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
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But stepping into that closet was really disgusting.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Wednesday afternoon, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the shooting horrific.—
Ali Bauman,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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From a horrific account of an asteroid hitting Earth to an evil AI computer capable of designing deadly activities, readers will face the dark and mysterious corners of the human experience.—
Jessica Tzikas,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
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His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Adjective
-
Are there horrible smells wafting around?—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
7 Jan. 2026
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Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The shocking decision sends ripples through the Washington program and the college football transfer portal.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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There are some great twists and turns leading to a shocking but very satisfying ending.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hideous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hideous. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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