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
Why go romantic for a moment that’s so horrific on its face?
—
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2026
But others understandably celebrated her style, and that celebration only intensified after her sudden, horrific death at 33.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Feb. 2026
Days before killing his former classmate, Valente carried out a horrific mass shooting at Brown University, killing two students, and was later found dead in an apparent suicide after a days-long manhunt.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent high-profile violence on the system, including a horrific November attack in which a young woman was set on fire on the Blue Line, have increased some riders’ worries about safety on the system.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2026
But others understandably celebrated her style, and that celebration only intensified after her sudden, horrific death at 33.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Feb. 2026
Days before killing his former classmate, Valente carried out a horrific mass shooting at Brown University, killing two students, and was later found dead in an apparent suicide after a days-long manhunt.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent high-profile violence on the system, including a horrific November attack in which a young woman was set on fire on the Blue Line, have increased some riders’ worries about safety on the system.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrific
Adjective
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The moment causes Byron, a selfish and braggadocious villain, to have a change of heart, stopping shipments of The Beauty and paying off the families ravaged by its gruesome side effects, like Bella’s.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
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The gruesome discovery would eventually lead authorities to a third woman, in her 80s, killed a few towns over, triggering a manhunt across several states and prompting a two-day closure of schools in Wayne County.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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News was spreading through the gym that Sage Hill had just upset Sierra Canyon 57-54 in Chatsworth in the other Open semifinal — one of the most shocking upsets in state basketball history.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Defense Department’s reliance on Anthropic’s AI came as a shocking realization that ultimately led to their dramatic schism, according to a top Pentagon official.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 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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So many terrible things happen that the reader develops a kind of flinch, bracing for the next calamity whenever there is a brief lull in the misery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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My actions were selfish; my actions were terrible.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
5 Mar. 2026
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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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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Vonn badly injured her left leg in a frightening crash in the Olympic downhill and won't be able to add points to her seasonal tally, but the American standout still leads the way with 400 points after two wins and three more podium results.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
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Friends reported that his pupils, which doubled in size during an attack, were frightening.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrific. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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