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
All were committed in the aftermath of the horrific kidnappings by Hamas and Israel’s brutal response.
—
Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
Case in point: in a horrific crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean’s car was split in half and engulfed in flames.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2025
The horrific experiences that haunt them often push them away from those who love them most.
—Gregg Laskoski, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
Mariska Hargitay was three when in 1967 Jayne, just 34, was killed along with two others in a horrific car crash.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
Case in point: in a horrific crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean’s car was split in half and engulfed in flames.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2025
The horrific experiences that haunt them often push them away from those who love them most.
—Gregg Laskoski, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
Mariska Hargitay was three when in 1967 Jayne, just 34, was killed along with two others in a horrific car crash.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrific
Adjective
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Accounts of government and police repression have only gotten more gruesome, with Amnesty Kenya reporting that 16 people have been shot and killed as of June 28 and local officials claiming that hundreds have been injured (while also alleging that most of those hurt were police officers).—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
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Forget turning on some gruesome horror movie: reading the daily headlines is enough to make just about anyone scream.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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The 6-foot-7 forward will join Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis with the Mavericks, who are looking to turn around the franchise following the shocking midseason trade of Luka Dončić in February.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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The Paris heavyweight routed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opening game, suffered a shocking 1-0 upset by Brazilian club Botafogo in their second match, and then beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to clinch first place in the group.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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To be able to say that so many writers have been meaningful to you is not a horrible thing.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2025
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If Flagg develops into the human triple double who leads the team to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his first six years, the trade can be called not a horrible deal.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Rarely great, and consistently cringey in that NHL way we’re used to by now, but rarely terrible.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Gi-hun is left with a terrible choice: kill the baby and survive, or sacrifice himself so that the baby can live.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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The fumes are certainly easier to ignore or deny than the visceral, immediate violence of serial murder—which is much rarer, and yet, for many, much more frightening.—
Sarah Weinman,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2025
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Which isn’t to say that the film isn’t frightening.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrific. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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