as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously
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Recent Examples of horrific
Pair it with: Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket for another horrific war parable about a young boy (and giant robots).
—
Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 4 June 2025
There are so many more Central Floridians who have horrific memories engraved on their souls.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
The war has carried a horrific toll for Gazans, with many dead amid the fighting and whole neighborhoods razed to the ground.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
Instead of just ending on that horrific moment, the show then cuts to Abby several days earlier.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 4 June 2025
There are so many more Central Floridians who have horrific memories engraved on their souls.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
The war has carried a horrific toll for Gazans, with many dead amid the fighting and whole neighborhoods razed to the ground.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
Instead of just ending on that horrific moment, the show then cuts to Abby several days earlier.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrific
Adjective
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Six decades later, Hamas would engage in a gruesome competition with Fatah to outdo one another with terrorist attacks during the 1990s and early 2000s.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
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But Trump and Epstein’s association has been out in the open for nearly a quarter century; nineties-era footage of the gruesome twosome together at Mar-a-Lago, leering at a group of young cheerleaders, has been circulating since at least 2019.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Continuing a recent pattern of face-to-furniture collisions on the talk show, the 69-year-old's head made a momentous journey plummeting toward the program's storied table at the top of Tuesday's live broadcast, after panelist Joy Behar made a shocking joke about Sean Combs.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
3 June 2025
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The toll represented a shocking increase from the 20 deaths recorded in 2019.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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Our hearts go out to those who witnessed this horrible attack, and prayers for a speedy recovery to those who were injured.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Kids these days have attention spans crushed under the terrible weight of TikTok and Instgram.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Heavy truck traffic has also contributed to terrible pollution in California’s Central Valley.—
Francine Kiefer,
Christian Science Monitor,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Critics of the administration’s tactics, including former Homeland Security officials, said the White House’s strategy boils down to frightening immigrants into leaving on their own.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrific. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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