horrific

adjective

hȯ-ˈri-fik How to pronounce horrific (audio)
Definition of horrificnext
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 horrific Set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict, the film follows Nina as she’s embroiled in a yearslong plot of subtle retaliation for her family’s horrific murder. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026 Built in 1928 by Gordon Kaufmann, and a gift from Edward Doheny to his son Ned and his family, the stately Tudor Revival was home to a horrific tragedy. — Amanda Karkoutly, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Taking over as the Reiner fund trustee from Matthew Fishburn soon after Rob and Michele Reiner’s horrific bludgeoning last December, Kanin served just 15 whirlwind weeks in the role before handing it over to Montgomery. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026 Those who sat on the Mughal’s Peacock Throne tended to die horrific deaths. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for horrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrific
  1. gruesome
  2. shocking
  3. horrible
  4. terrible
  5. nightmare
  6. horrifying
  7. frightening
Adjective
  • In 1987, the United Klans of America was ordered to pay $7 million for the gruesome 1981 murder of Michael Donald, a Black teenager whose body was found hanging from a tree in Mobile, Alabama.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Her credits include Obi-Wan, Rebel Moon and The Orville, as well as the gruesome culinary creations of Grotesquerie and drinkable blood for American Horror Story.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • In front of adoring fans in Shanghai, the UFC veteran and perennial contender in the UFC bantamweight division scored a shocking upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event on Saturday.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The August nonfarm payrolls report that releases Friday will be coming off a low set of expectations, given the shocking loss of jobs in July.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • As horrible news stories go, few could compare with what happened on a Greek holiday island Monday.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ terrible, horrible, no good, very bad reelection campaign just got worse after Wednesday night’s debate in Sherman Oaks.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • But even without it, there seems to be some truth to the idea that if these teams were terrible businesses, they wouldn’t be sold for billions of dollars.
    — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Not by tightening the siege on Iran directly, but by tightening the siege on those who help this regime, this terrible dictatorship.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • This is the nightmare scenario behind the Kessler syndrome, a cascading chain of collisions that could render entire orbital pathways unusable.
    — Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • But the 22-year-old is not alone in having a nightmare individual performance on a high-profile sporting stage.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of nightmare
Adjective
  • Equal parts emotional, horrifying and humorous, Pagans unearths all our darkest thoughts about family.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Soon, the horrifying virus is everywhere, and resulting scarcities of water, food, and medicine cause panic, which leads to false conspiracy theories, riots, and an utter collapse of social trust.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrifying
Adjective
  • The Freedom 250 Grand Prix circuit has proved to be a treacherous one, and that was highlighted in a frightening crash involving a pair of drivers early in the race.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • And because cognition is so closely tied to a person’s sense of competence and identity, those changes can be surprisingly frightening.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightening

Browse Nearby Words

horridness
horrific
horrifically
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Cite this Entry

“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrific. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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