horrendous

[haw-ren-duhs, ho-]

adjective

shockingly dreadful; horrible: a horrendous crime.

Origin of horrendous

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

Related formshor·ren·dous·ly, adverb

Synonyms for horrendous

appalling, frightful, hideous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for horrendously

Contemporary Examples of horrendously

The hatchet job quickly went viral, with the twitterverse agreeing that it was terribly funny and horrendously mean.
Guy Fieri Battles Scathing New York Times Review by Pete Wells
Katie Baker
November 16, 2012
To be fair, the problem that had to be addressed was horrendously complex.
Preventing Another Bank Disaster
Jeffrey E. Garten
March 15, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for horrendously

horrendous

adjective

another word for horrific

Derived Formshorrendously, adverb

Word Origin for horrendous

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

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

Word Origin and History for horrendously

horrendous

adj.

1650s, from Latin horrendus "dreadful, fearful, terrible," literally "to be shuddered at," gerundive of horrere "to bristle with fear, shudder" (see horror). Earlier form in English was horrend (mid-15c.).