horrific
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of horrific
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin horrificus, equivalent to horri-, combining form of horrēre “to bristle with fear” + -ficus -fic
Explanation
Something horrific causes horror. It’s disastrous and makes you shudder with fear. Yikes! If something horrific, like a deadly car crash, makes your hair stand up, you’re onto something. Horrific comes from the Latin word horrificus — which, if you trace it back, literally means “making the hair stand on end.” Anything horrific fills you with horror and makes you bristle. If you lose your hat, that’s a bummer. A serial killer’s rampage? That's horrific. Save horrific for things that are so scary your hair stands up, or feels like it is.
Vocabulary lists containing horrific
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 5
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Time for Kids: "Typhoon in the Philippines"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chapter 9: Civil War and Reconstruction, Lessons 1–2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Antonella Nistorescu displayed horrific video images of the crash with the word “preventable” plastered across the screen in red letters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care physician who had volunteered in Gaza, described the horrific scenes she witnessed.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
“This horrific phrase ‘nepo baby’ is horrible because these kids didn’t ask to be born into this,” Zeta-Jones told the Sunday Times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"It's going to be horrific for the locals, not just visually but also we're worried about the noise."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The aftermath was horrific, with media reports showing hospitals without backup power, distraught families herded into the Superdome, emergency workers hamstrung by a lack of supplies.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
