HORRIBLE Synonyms: 273 Similar and Opposite Words

horrible 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhȯr-ə-bəl

Definition of horrible

as in horrific

extremely disturbing or repellent a horrible car accident that left eyewitnesses in a state of shock

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in terrifying

causing fear a horrible scream that made shivers go up and down our spines

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in awful

causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment I can never forgive her for the horrible way she treated me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in terrible

extremely unsatisfactory I'm never going back to that restaurant; the service was horrible

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

horrible

2 of 2

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 horrible

Adjective

The Red Sox offense has been horrible this season, but Contreras has been everything the club could have hoped for. — Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route. — Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 26 June 2026 If only there wasn’t a horrible storm hitting Chicago right as The Bear is already experiencing its own turmoil — no money, barely any ingredients, and now the building is quite literally falling apart. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 June 2026 Luke Hales / Getty Images Major League Baseball could be barreling toward a horrible year in 2027, when games could be canceled amid a labor dispute. — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for horrible

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrible

Adjective

On one level, Knife is a story of survival and recovery after a horrific attack.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 July 2026
Mosley’s case drew the attention of Guardian Angel founder and 2025 Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, who stood with animal lovers in demanding a stiff penalty in response to the cat’s horrific death.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026

Definition of horrific

Adjective

But getting that fissile material off the launchpad safely remains a terrifying engineering hurdle.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 July 2026

Definition of terrifying

Adjective

One year Pippa Middleton faced the awful shame of having to sit in a normal seat after showing up late.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Sugar is at the forensic lab with the corpse of a man who looks an awful lot like Ji Moon but isn’t Ji Moon (courtesy of Shea Whigham as Tom Flybjerg).

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 27 June 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

To sit still now would send a terrible message to a clubhouse full of pros, all of whom know the score.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026
Spieth decided the ball sitting on a steep slope and potentially on a terrible lie wasn’t playable.

— Brody Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of terrible

Noun

What started as a campaign to diminish Iran’s nuclear capabilities and weaken its global terror networks has morphed into a dispute over control of one of the world’s most important trade routes.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
In these novels, the main character has been so absurdly addled by a (late-revealed) trauma that everyday human interactions are wildly aglow with (at first) terror or (later) manic-pixie wonder.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of terror

Adjective

The rest of the trailer is filled with the kind of Eighties-style excess — with a gruesome tinge — that showcases what a good match Ellis and Murphy are for each other.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026
Their early live shows were marked by ominous guitar riffs, blast beats, and gruesome antics onstage, feeding into the early signs of a new heavy metal subgenre that would become death metal.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026

Definition of gruesome

Adjective

Obviously there’s day to day stuff but to me, that’s just another frightening thing about being trapped in a system.

— Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Cortlandt Koerwitz/Instagram A family's Fourth of July outing took a frightening turn when a bear charged at a father outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home after startling his daughters.

— Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 9 July 2026

Definition of frightening

Cite this Entry

Style

“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrible. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of horrible

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on horrible

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

obdurate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes