atrocious
Americanadjective
-
extremely cruel or wicked; ruthless
atrocious deeds
-
horrifying or shocking
an atrocious road accident
-
informal very bad; detestable
atrocious writing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of atrocious
First recorded in 1660–70; atroci(ty) + -ous
Explanation
Atrocious is a great word, but there's nothing good about its meaning or its synonyms: horrible, ugly, abominable, dreadful, unspeakable, and monstrous, to name just a few. The adjective atrocious is descended from the Latin atrox, which means "fierce" and "cruel." We hear this word all the time when something provokes horror (like a massive earthquake), when something is exceptionally bad or displeasing (like the worst movie we've ever seen, and the worse acting), or when we see something shockingly brutal or cruel (like an act of terrorism).
Vocabulary lists containing atrocious
Esperanza Rising
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Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Atrocious offensive line play, in many ways, harms the viewing experience more than terrible quarterback play.
From Washington Post • Sep. 13, 2017
Atrocious weather mired the Germans first in impassable mud and then in horrific, record-breaking low temperatures and snow storms.
From BBC • Oct. 28, 2013
"Atrocious, artless, cynical," is the way Stephen Bayley, one of Britain's leading voices on style, taste and contemporary design, described the uniforms.
From Reuters • Aug. 3, 2012
Mississippi's loudmouthed old John Rankin cried, self-righteously: "Atrocious."
From Time Magazine Archive
Atrocious deeds were done, in which religious passion was often the instrument, but policy was the motive.
From The History of Freedom by Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
