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: odious, vile, nasty, abominable

3. Archaic. shaggy or bristling; rough.

horrid

/ ˈhɒrɪd /

adjective

1. disagreeable; unpleasant

   a horrid meal

2. repulsive or frightening
3. informal.
   unkind

Derived Forms

• ˈhorridness, noun
• ˈhorridly, adverb

Other Words From

• horrid·ly adverb
• horrid·ness 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 4-1 away victory over Honduras came after a horrid first half and after star attacker Christian Pulisic left with an ankle injury.

From Washington Post

Even Giant’s notoriously horrid saddles have been updated to a surprisingly tolerable Romero SL perch.

From Outside Online

Plus, the horrid communication from Google made things worse.

From Search Engine Land

The Duke of Hastings is broken, consumed by a vow made against a horrid father.

From Washington Post

Removing choice is bullying and seems a horrid basis on which to anchor your relationship.

From The Daily Beast

This world is a horrid cancer that no decent soul should ever partake from.

From The Daily Beast

And bringing this home for all was the horrid beheading of American journalist James Foley.

From The Daily Beast

The state likely will lead in the countervailing lawsuits when (insert a horrid disease here) is found to be linked to e-puffing.

From The Daily Beast

In 2001, students in the mostly black Richmond district in Virginia had rather horrid reading scores.

From The Daily Beast

Her eyes, for a moment, fixed themselves with a horrid conviction of a wide and nameless treachery.

From Project Gutenberg

But he was ignorant of that part of the horrid tale; and the Duke, in a milder voice, bade him rise.

From Project Gutenberg

They are faced by a horrid redoubt held by machine guns, and they are to rush it with the bayonet.

From Project Gutenberg

John Tubbs was one day doing his sums, when little Sam Jones pushed against him; and down went the slate with a horrid clatter.

From Project Gutenberg

I guess you are growing up, 17 laughed unconscious Dinah; its hateful and horrid to grow up; I never shall.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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

More About Horrid

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.

Where does horrid come from?

The first records of the word horrid come from the late 1500s. It comes from the Latin horridus, which means “prickly” or “rough” and ultimately derives from the Latin verb horrēre, meaning “to tremble” or “to bristle with fear” (a reference to one’s hair standing on end due to extreme fear). Horrēre is the basis of the word horror and the related words horrific, horrifying, and horrible.

Horrid is most popularly used to simply mean “really bad,” in much the same way that horrible and terrible are often used, as in I had a horrid time at that party—no one would talk to me! Sometimes, though, horrid means truly horrific or horrifying, as in In my 30 years on the job, I’ve never seen a crime scene more horrid than this. Real-life horror, like violence, can be described as horrid, but you wouldn’t call a horror movie horrid to mean it was really scary—you’d probably call it horrifying or terrifying. If it was really stupid and poorly made, though, then you could call it horrid. (Unless it was so bad that it was good, in which case you might call it terrific!)

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to horrid?

• horridly (adverb)
• horridness (noun)

What are some synonyms for horrid?

• horrible
• horrendous
• terrible
• awful
• dreadful

What are some words that often get used in discussing horrid?

 

• bad
• day
• weather
• person
• movie
• unpleasant

How is horrid used in real life?

The word horrid is always negative, but it’s commonly used in both serious and not-so-serious contexts.

The report is the second in 15 months detailing horrid, violent conditions in Alabama's men's prisons. https://t.co/r6fMxtXXaA

— MontgomeryAdvertiser (@MGMAdvertiser) July 23, 2020

It's looking to be a clear night for many of us this evening. A nice break from the horrid weather and a good excuse to go stargazing.
Wrap up warm, go outside, look up, take some pics if you want and enjoy :)
The Moon and Venus will look particularly splendid.

— VirtualAstro (@VirtualAstro) February 27, 2020

Literally praying that my friends roommate moves out so I can move in with her and leave my horrid roommate behind! 🙏

— jess 💋 (@jesseckhoff) December 13, 2014

 

 

Try using horrid!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of horrid? 

A. awful
B. terrible
C. lousy
D. delightful