horror

[ hawr-er, hor- ]

/ ˈhɔr ər, ˈhɒr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR horror ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting; a shuddering fear: to shrink back from a mutilated corpse in horror.

anything that causes such a feeling: killing, looting, and other horrors of war.

such a feeling as a quality or condition: to have known the horror of slow starvation.

a strong aversion; abhorrence: to have a horror of emotional outbursts.

Informal. something considered bad or tasteless: That wallpaper is a horror. The party was a horror.

horrors, Informal.

delirium tremens.
extreme depression.

adjective

inspiring or creating horror, loathing, aversion, etc.: The hostages told horror stories of their year in captivity.

centered upon or depicting terrifying or macabre events: a horror movie.

interjection

horrors, (used as a mild expression of dismay, surprise, disappointment, etc.)

Nearby words

horrified, horrify, horrifying, horripilate, horripilation, horror, horror show, horror story, horror-stricken, horror-struck, horrors

Origin of horror

1520–30; < Latin horror, equivalent to horr- (stem of horrēre to bristle with fear; see horrendous) + -or -or¹; replacing Middle English orrour < Anglo-French < Latin horrōr-, stem of horror

SYNONYMS FOR horror

1 dread, dismay, consternation. See terror.

4 loathing, antipathy, detestation, hatred, abomination.

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ANTONYMS FOR horror

1 serenity.

4 attraction.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for horror

In the end, the clarity that comes from moments of horror can help us recommit to deeper principles.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Internationally there has been a lot of horror and contempt for her actions, domestically very little,” he said.
Sisi Is Persecuting, Prosecuting, and Publicly Shaming Egypt’s Gays|Bel Trew|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The grief in this house is extreme of course; this is a horror movie, after all.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, you can read this just as a brilliant, subversive coda to a horror movie.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Like many other Pakistani Taliban, Jamal has his own horror stories to tell, which he believes can justify any bloody retribution.
Pakistani School Killers Want to Strike the U.S.|Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All his desperate sorrow of the morning and the horror of his dream were gone.
Lady Into Fox|David Garnett
The Perdu at this point—and even in his horror he noted it with surprise—was comparatively shallow.
Earth's Enigmas|Charles G. D. Roberts
He stopped to gaze at them more attentively, when to his horror he recognized a herd of gigantic bears.
A Winter Amid the Ice|Jules Verne
Also, to her horror, she discovered that nothing would induce Ellen to accompany her.
Joanna Godden|Sheila Kaye-Smith
But if she remains here I fear that nothing can save her from the horror of an arrest, even if afterwards we are able to save her.
The Yellow Crayon|E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for horror

horror

/ (ˈhɒrə) /

noun

extreme fear; terror; dread

intense loathing; hatred

(often plural) a thing or person causing fear, loathing, etc

(modifier) having a frightening subject, esp a supernatural onea horror film

Word Origin for horror

C14: from Latin: a trembling with fear; compare hirsute

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

Idioms and Phrases with horror

horror

see under throw up one's hands.

horror

noun

adjective

interjection

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Nearby words

Origin of horror

SYNONYMS FOR horror

ANTONYMS FOR horror

Examples from the Web for horror

British Dictionary definitions for horror

horror

noun

Word Origin for horror

Idioms and Phrases with horror

horror