HORRIBLE Synonyms: 273 Similar and Opposite Words

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in terrifying

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in awful

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in terrible

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

horrible

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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

Ashley Flynn’s sister, Kayla Keyt, said during her victim statement that her family could not overcome their sense of shock and despair after learning that Flynn betrayed them in such a violent and horrible way. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026 The Penguins looked horrible early, then dazzled the home fans by reeling off five consecutive goals. — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 There [are] so many horrible and important and crucial things going on in our world. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 By the time of the horrible accident in 1829, the deodand was on its way out. — Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for horrible

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrible

Adjective

There’s a slickness to the carnage that rubs uncomfortably against the film’s humanist ethos, rendering artificial (for all Shen Teng’s trembling and mouth-contorting labors) the horrific tragedies that befall its characters.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
What happened to you was horrific, and there is nothing that any of us can say today that will make this any easier.

— Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of horrific

Adjective

Fifty years ago, scientists pioneering a terrifying gene-splicing technology figured out a way to collectively hit pause.

— Nick Fountain, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Don’t worry, the breakdown starts in a hurry and Cardellini is terrifying, if perhaps not as sympathetic as the series requires long-term.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrifying

Adjective

When Moore left the game after an awful hit from a USC linebacker, Raiola stepped up and looked even better.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
But coming off the back of that, there was all of this legislation that was pretty awful and generally, there were a lot of homophobic attitudes, still quite extreme, even as late as the 1990s.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

And then none of it mattered because his special teams bailed him out with a big kick return (thanks to a terrible decision by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to even allow a kick return in the first place) followed by a walk-off field goal.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
The story follows the transformation of Adriana (Colin), a woman shattered by a terrible murder and who discovers the strength to start over, driven by an unquenchable thirst for justice.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrible

Noun

In-line fours got bigger, went a hell of a lot faster, and schooled several generations of riders in sheer terror, while simultaneously addicting them to industrial doses of adrenaline.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2026
More than 1,200 people – mostly civilians – were killed in the terror attack.

— Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of terror

Adjective

Among protesters, particularly gruesome wounds suffered by some teenagers have been blamed on police riot-control weapons.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Mars Attacks, released in 1962, was a huge hit with kids, though many parents objected to the gruesome artwork of Martians eviscerating Earthlings.

— Bob Woods, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of gruesome

Adjective

Doyle has played all kinds of frightening characters in his five years at Markoff's.

— Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
The trailer for the movie, which includes a particularly frightening jump scare from Chastain as Other Mommy, went viral online after playing in front of theatrical screenings.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of frightening

Adjective

That’s likely to inspire either affection or immediate exhaustion, depending on your fondness for the infamously disgusting performance group.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances.

— Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026