horrendous

[haw-ren-duhs, ho-]

adjective

1. shockingly dreadful; horrible.

   a horrendous crime.

   Synonyms: hideous, frightful, appalling

horrendous

/ hɒˈrɛndəs /

adjective

1. another word for horrific

Other Word Forms

• horrendously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of horrendous¹

1650–60; < Latin horrendus dreadful, to be feared (gerund of horrēre to bristle, shudder), equivalent to horr- (akin to hirsute ) + -endus gerund suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of horrendous¹

C17: from Latin horrendus fearful, from horrēre to bristle, shudder, tremble; see _horror

Example Sentences

“A Queen Mother who betrays the Council and goes against the abosom! How horrendously hypocritical.”

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She came to in seconds, sputtering and frantically wiping her mouth to get rid of the horrendous taste.

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The Middle Passage refers to the forced voyage of people from Africa to the Americas, where they would be made to work in horrendous conditions and held in bondage for the rest of their lives.

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Justice Secretary David Lammy told MPs the figures were "symptomatic of a prison system under a horrendous strain", saying the Labour government had inherited a "crisis" from the Conservatives.

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"The waiting was horrendous and now I think that if I had been treated properly and not had to wait so long it wouldn't have progressed to stage three."

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Related Words

• abhorrent 
• appalling 
• atrocious 
• awful 
• dire 
• disastrous 
• dreadful 
• extreme 
• frightful 
• ghastly 
• gruesome 
• harrowing 
• hideous 
• horrible 
• horrid 

When To Use

What does horrendous mean?

Horrendous is popularly used to mean extremely bad—awful, dreadful, or horrible.It can also mean literally causing horror—horrifying or horrific, as in horrendous violence.Example: If you’re wondering what cake tastes like when you accidentally use salt instead of sugar, it’s horrendous—completely disgusting and inedible.