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
In April 2022, a student at Millbrook High filmed himself committing a horrific act of violence.
—
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
These horrific crimes by bloodthirsty aliens happen here, too.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
An Arizona mother of two was mauled to death by three dogs in a horrific attack while protecting her son outside her mother’s Southern California home.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Magnano then fires nine shots toward Jones, Jones immediately collapses to the ground as people in the area could be heard letting out horrific screams and cries.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
These horrific crimes by bloodthirsty aliens happen here, too.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
An Arizona mother of two was mauled to death by three dogs in a horrific attack while protecting her son outside her mother’s Southern California home.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Magnano then fires nine shots toward Jones, Jones immediately collapses to the ground as people in the area could be heard letting out horrific screams and cries.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrific
Adjective
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War isn’t the only thing in the Outlander universe that can deliver a gruesome death.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
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The filings also revealed a gruesome new detail about the case and provided some clarity about Burke’s status in the eyes of prosecutors.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Given how well Queta has played this season, that at-the-rim scoring binge was impressive, but not shocking.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
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Pasquantino piloted his team to the biggest win in Italian baseball history inside the same ballpark with their shocking 8-6 victory over Team USA on Tuesday.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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After the horrible murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, legions of fans revisited to the director’s films, and this is one of his best.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
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But today, the building is in horrible shape.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As compiled by Gnostics, who consider the material world to be a fundamentally terrible place.—
Jay Martel,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Astros’ young second baseman, Jose Altuve, was making waves, Fisher remembered, yet the club still looked terrible.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This is the nightmare scenario for California Democrats.—
Tom Charron,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
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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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It's been absolutely just horrifying.—
Kelly McCarthy,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
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After all, the findings of this report pale in comparison to the horrifying gaps exposed by toothless audits from the Maryland General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Audits.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And for Slusser, born and raised as a Christian in Texas, just a year and a half living in Northern California had taken a frightening toll.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
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Protests that kind of were merging toward violence or at least frightening to our diplomats.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrific. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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