horrid

[hawr-id, hor-]

adjective

1. such as to cause horror; shockingly dreadful; abominable.

2. extremely unpleasant or disagreeable.

   horrid weather; She thought her uncle was horrid.

   Synonyms: nasty, abominable, odious, vile

3. Archaic.,  shaggy or bristling; rough.

horrid

/ ˈhɒrɪd /

adjective

1. disagreeable; unpleasant

   a horrid meal

2. repulsive or frightening

3. informal,  unkind

Other Word Forms

• horridly adverb
• horridness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of horrid¹

1580–90; < Latin horridus bristling, rough, equivalent to horr- (stem of horrēre to stand on end, bristle) + -idus -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of horrid¹

C16 (in the sense: bristling, shaggy): from Latin horridus prickly, rough, from horrēre to bristle

Example Sentences

The wolf pulled its black-rimmed lips back into a horrid grin that bared every one of its wet, razor-sharp teeth.

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“The morale at JPL is horrid right now,” the mechanical engineer said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Risk is a "horrid word" according to the Wales head coach, who refused to acknowledge there was any risk in choosing England as friendly opponents.

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A former employee at the notorious Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention center is speaking out against the facility, describing horrid conditions and “inhumane” treatment of detainees.

Read more on Salon

"It's a real strong, horrid smell that you can't escape," said Sarah Lewis.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• abominable 
• appalling 
• awful 
• disgusting 
• dreadful 
• frightful 
• ghastly 
• grim 
• grisly 
• gruesome 
• hideous 
• horrific 

When To Use

What does horrid mean?

Horrid is popularly used to mean extremely bad—awful, dreadful, or horrible.When it’s used to describe a person, it often means extremely disagreeable or cruel.Much less commonly, it can mean literally causing horror—horrifying or horrific.Example: Everyone seems to like that restaurant, but I had a horrid experience there—bad food and even worse service.