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horror

American  
[hawr-er, hor-] / ˈhɔr ər, ˈhɒr- /

noun

  1. 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.
    Synonyms:
    consternation, dismay, dread
    Antonyms:
    serenity

  2. anything that causes such a feeling.

    killing, looting, and other horrors of war.

  3. such a feeling as a quality or condition.

    to have known the horror of slow starvation.

  4. a strong aversion; abhorrence.

    to have a horror of emotional outbursts.
    Synonyms:
    abomination, hatred, detestation, antipathy, loathing
    Antonyms:
    attraction

  5. Informal. something considered bad or tasteless.

    That wallpaper is a horror. The party was a horror.

  6. Informal. horrors,

    1. delirium tremens.

    2. extreme depression.

adjective

  1. inspiring or creating horror, loathing, aversion, etc..

    The hostages told horror stories of their year in captivity.

  2. centered upon or depicting terrifying or macabre events.

    a horror movie.

interjection

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

horror British  
/ ˈhɒrə /

noun

  1. extreme fear; terror; dread

  2. intense loathing; hatred

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

  4. (modifier) having a frightening subject, esp a supernatural one

    a horror film
"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
horror Idioms  

  1. see under throw up one's hands.

Related Words

See terror.

Etymology

Origin of horror

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin horror, equivalent to horr- (stem of horrēre “to bristle with fear”; horrendous ) + -or -or 1; replacing Middle English orrour, from Anglo-French, from Latin horrōr-, stem of horror

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.

Of all the predictabilities in the horror genre, one is increasingly and irritatingly disappointing: “Girl stuff” seems to just simply not count.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

But even the "Scream" horror movies, which debuted in 1996, are still going strong, with "Scream 7" taking in more than $200 million worldwide so far this year, according to Box Office Mojo.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

The first bucket the Fontanezes bought was Billy the Puppet from the horror movie “Saw X.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The young novelist “loves all things horror and is passionate about writing stories focused on feminine rage,” according to her Goodreads bio.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

In the hush of horror that followed, there was a gentle pressure on my knees.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.