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
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.
Does anyone think Mr. Canellos and Mrs. Tarr would draw a different conclusion about Justice Alito if teenage Sam’s handwriting had been atrocious?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"The house reeked when we first got here, it was genuinely atrocious for months," Razan says.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
"At the same time we also need to increase support to Ukraine, so that they can defend themselves, because these attacks are atrocious."
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
“It’s atrocious how secretive they are with these sorts of taxpayer-funded events,” said David Cuillier, director of The Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026
“You know, I was afraid he’d begin thinking about something so ridiculous as soon as he saw this week’s Saturday Evening Post. I hope you succeeded in showing him what an atrocious idea it is.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
