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atrocious

[ uh-troh-shuhs ]
/ əˈtroʊ ʃəs /
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See synonyms for: atrocious / atrociously / atrociousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
extremely or shockingly wicked, cruel, or brutal: an atrocious crime.
shockingly bad or tasteless; dreadful; abominable: an atrocious painting; atrocious manners.
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Origin of atrocious

First recorded in 1660–70; atroci(ty) + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM atrocious

a·tro·cious·ly, adverba·tro·cious·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use atrocious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for atrocious

atrocious
/ (əˈtrəʊʃəs) /

adjective
extremely cruel or wicked; ruthlessatrocious deeds
horrifying or shockingan atrocious road accident
informal very bad; detestableatrocious writing

Derived forms of atrocious

atrociously, adverbatrociousness, noun

Word Origin for atrocious

C17: from Latin ātrōx dreadful, from āter black
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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