atrocious

[ uh-troh-shuhs ]
See synonyms for: atrociousatrociouslyatrociousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. extremely or shockingly wicked, cruel, or brutal: an atrocious crime.

  2. shockingly bad or tasteless; dreadful; abominable: an atrocious painting; atrocious manners.

Origin of atrocious

1
First recorded in 1660–70; atroci(ty) + -ous

Other words for atrocious

Other words from atrocious

  • a·tro·cious·ly, adverb
  • a·tro·cious·ness, noun

Words Nearby atrocious

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How to use atrocious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for atrocious

atrocious

/ (əˈtrəʊʃəs) /


adjective
  1. extremely cruel or wicked; ruthless: atrocious deeds

  2. horrifying or shocking: an atrocious road accident

  1. informal very bad; detestable: atrocious writing

Origin of atrocious

1
C17: from Latin ātrōx dreadful, from āter black

Derived forms of atrocious

  • atrociously, adverb
  • atrociousness, noun

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