horrible
Americanadjective
-
causing or tending to cause horror; shockingly dreadful.
a horrible sight.
- Synonyms:
- repellent , horrendous , horrid , repulsive , revolting , shocking , ghastly , grim , hideous , frightful , appalling , awful , terrible
- Antonyms:
- attractive
-
extremely unpleasant; deplorable; disgusting.
horrible living conditions.
adjective
-
causing horror; dreadful
-
disagreeable; unpleasant
-
informal cruel or unkind
Usage
What does horrible mean? Horrible is popularly used to mean extremely bad—awful, dreadful, or horrendous.When it’s used to describe a person, it often means extremely disagreeable or cruel.Much less commonly, it can mean literally causing horror—horrifying or horrific.Example: Everyone seems to like that restaurant, but I had a horrible experience there—bad food and even worse service.
Other Word Forms
- horribleness noun
- horribly adverb
Etymology
Origin of horrible
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (h)orrible, from Old French, from Latin horribilis, equivalent to horr(ēre) “to stand on end, bristle with fear” + -ibilis -ible
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.
In the 2011 comedy “Horrible Bosses,” three friends gang up against their bosses—all different versions of horrible.
Let’s take a closer look at crypto’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.
From Los Angeles Times
"I'm not allowed to fly and I felt like I had a real dilemma of protecting my baby over being with my mum - which is a horrible, horrible battle to have in your own head."
From BBC
"It's the most horrible thing that's ever happened in my life, and the worst thing was not being able to tell anyone what was happening."
From BBC
"I couldn't even tell anyone for a while. I was so embarrassed. It was a nightmare. Only one friend knew. It was a very horrible time in my life."
From BBC
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.
