1
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
2
as in terrifying
causing fear
a horrible scream that made shivers go up and down our spines
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
4
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
I'm never going back to that restaurant; the service was horrible
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in terror
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horrible
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025
The difference this year is that the more autocratic or erratic leaders there are in power, the harder normal forecasting becomes, because macroeconomic dynamics get out of whack – like how Putin’s war, which was horrible in itself, also came with this secondary scourge of inflation.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 10 June 2025
Strapped with a 12-53 record, the Rockies are historically horrible, tying the 1932 Boston Red Sox for the worst start ever.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 9 June 2025
Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrible
Adjective
His first bogey of the day came on Hole 1 (McIlroy began his round on Hole 10), and things could’ve been much worse on Hole 4 when his drive on the par-5 fired to the right and landed on horrible, high grass.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025
The difference this year is that the more autocratic or erratic leaders there are in power, the harder normal forecasting becomes, because macroeconomic dynamics get out of whack – like how Putin’s war, which was horrible in itself, also came with this secondary scourge of inflation.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 10 June 2025
Strapped with a 12-53 record, the Rockies are historically horrible, tying the 1932 Boston Red Sox for the worst start ever.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 9 June 2025
Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrible
Adjective
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Remember the horrific pro-Western regime of the Shah with its 150,000+ political prisoners?—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
21 June 2025
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Even the hill opposite, which is free to attend, is noticeably quieter, although the horrific, endless rain will have something to do with that.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m.—
Stephen Swanson,
CBS News,
20 June 2025
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Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Even so, some of Lucy’s pronouncements are so truly awful that a blunt snort of laughter is the only response.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 June 2025
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Romano moved back into the closer role since the loss of Alvarado, and has alternated awesome and awful performances - his ERA is an unsightly 7.40 to date.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
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For example, while the IRA rollback effort will inevitably mean a significant reduction in U.S. federal support for electric vehicles, nevertheless the adoption of EVs continued in Q1 even despite a terrible quarter for the U.S.’s leading brand (Tesla).—
Rob Day,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Noun
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By the time Jaws’s 45th anniversaries rolled around, society was locked down in the Covid pandemic’s first year, terror gripping communities worldwide.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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Izadi had been sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. over his ties to the Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad, which also helped plan the Oct. 7 terror attacks.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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In the wake of the gruesome shootings of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, Lee took to social media.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
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So prepare for more gruesome kills, more gross-outs, more insight into how a society might actually look a generation after an unfathomable event.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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How to check food labels for allergies Howard's story is frightening and not entirely uncommon.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
12 June 2025
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The frightening incident unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship on June 8.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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My goodness, these men wanted to win the U.S. Open with every bit of their being, to finally win a major championship and make this ugly, rainy day worth the battles behind them.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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The beautiful game deserves better than to be played against a backdrop of ugly anti-human rights policies.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrible. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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