as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horrific
This is not just a victory for her, but for every single survivor of the horrific crimes perpetrated by Epstein and his co-conspirators.
—
Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
The violence at the end of episode four is horrific and all these wheels are in motion and all the different story lines are starting to converge.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
One patient had suffered a horrific motorcycle injury and eventually tapered off opioids with the help of cannabis.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Arsenic and Old Lace moves at a breathless pace with our leading man's escalating horrific discoveries.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
The violence at the end of episode four is horrific and all these wheels are in motion and all the different story lines are starting to converge.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
One patient had suffered a horrific motorcycle injury and eventually tapered off opioids with the help of cannabis.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Arsenic and Old Lace moves at a breathless pace with our leading man's escalating horrific discoveries.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrific
Adjective
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Halloween was significantly more graphic than many of its predecessors, and Zombie said the gruesome violence was a deliberate choice and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy viewing.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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The five-minute mash-up rapidly intercuts scenes of happy domesticity (a loving mother, kids in face paint eating popcorn in front of the tube, teens affectionately goofing around) with gruesome murders committed by a beautiful little boy.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The shocking New York City murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 was followed by a July Midtown Manhattan shooting that claimed the lives of two security guards and two executives at Blackstone and Rudin Management.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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At some hibernation sites, a shocking 90 to 100 percent of bats have died, and there currently is no cure.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Inherently, a writer doing historical research is always victim to this horrible irony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
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There are some horrible things said on stage by the mystery writer that Tony Carlin plays.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The heiress was involved in a terrible car accident in 1929, which left her with life-long medical issues.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
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And keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, once Alisson’s backup with Liverpool, has improved after a terrible start.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That alone would be nightmare enough, but this debate has been constructed and is moderated by Sam Reich.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Enjoy this collection of contestant stories that are equal parts hilarious and horrifying, and then judge on who brought their A game to this exercise and delivered the absolute best of the bunch.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Oct. 2025
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What results is a zombie movie that’s horrifying, heartfelt, and hilarious, sometimes all at once — much like queerness itself.—
James Factora,
Them.,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Even more frightening for journalists is the idea that generations are growing up without the habit of following news, particularly for their own communities.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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Witch-burning, frightening folklore, and centuries of war and bloodshed have imparted an unsettling ambience in destinations like Edinburgh.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrific. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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