1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
a horrible car accident that left eyewitnesses in a state of shock
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horrible
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
This was a horrible tragedy that has affected many people.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 12 May 2026
That is a really horrible thing.
—David Chiu, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrible
Adjective
Sometimes, horrible things happen right under our noses.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
This was a horrible tragedy that has affected many people.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 12 May 2026
That is a really horrible thing.
—David Chiu, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The Virginia Supreme Court has just struck down the Democrats’ horrible gerrymander.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrible
Adjective
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And also, the way that the wish is impacting Bear is ultimately horrific.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
18 May 2026
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But a new era of DEI was ushered in after the horrific murder of George Floyd.—
Janice Gassam Asare,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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The tech is terrifying, but it’s treated matter-of-factly, played for barked laughs.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette star as the main couple, Bear and Nikki, who fall victim to the One Wish Willow, a wish-granting toy with terrifying results.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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And Season 2 was the Deathclaw, which was an awful lot of fun.—
Scott Huver,
Variety,
20 May 2026
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But every awful pause contains an ocean of meaning, none of it comforting.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Residents describe ‘a terrible night’ More than 30 people were injured in the apartment building collapse, while emergency workers rescued 28 residents, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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And some were not kind to him on social media following the terrible first round.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Putting words on the page seems too low stakes to get worked up about, and yet the terror of saying something taboo—or just being boring—feels like a terrible fate to most writers.—
David O’Neill,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
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While Clancy died in 2013, Jack Ryan continues to confront a world that never loses its capacity for danger, destruction and terror.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Like its gruesome predecessors, his latest full-length work features adorably designed anthropomorphic animals (and mushrooms) navigating bleak realities and confronting existentialist concerns.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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Authorities were hunting for three days for the suspect after a gruesome late-night stabbing murder on Sunday in a laundry room in the Nordheim Court apartments.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Eidinger is perfect for the role, and his escalating temper tantrums — almost camp at first, with delicious echoes of Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa — become frightening in their intensity.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
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But at Medley Club, residents never lost power during the entire frightening ordeal.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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How on Earth could this Wild team, after dominating the first period and taking a 3-0 lead with a chance to keep its season alive and force a Game 6, collapse in such an absolutely disgusting fashion?—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
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Just days ago, the CDC announced that over 100 passengers and more than a dozen crew members on a different ship, the Caribbean Princess, have been infected by norovirus—a less fatal but more disgusting illness.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrible. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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