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horrible

horrible

1.5
Very bad or frightening in a way that makes you feel upset
  • adjective
  • /ˈhɔːrɪbəl/
translation icon : horrible
  • It was the most horrible day in my life.
  • a horrible crime
  • horrible living conditions
  • a horrible death

And I thought that was horrible, that was wrong, unjust.

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Examples

  • The movie was filled with horrible scenes that made some viewers uncomfortable.

  • We did not deny that the treatment of Black Americans had been a horrible wrong.

    Academic text (2008)
  • That is good news for somebody and horrible news for others.

  • Oh, I just heard the most horrible story from home in a letter.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Some people have memories that are so horrible that they interfere with their lives.

    Academic text (2011)
  • My main thesis is simple: this trend is a horrible mistake.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Misty says she was in a horrible car accident.

  • They're trying to keep a horrible truth from getting out.

  • That's a horrible thing to say.

  • Many areas are quite pleasant, while conditions in others are between horrible and astonishingly bad.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

terrible
vshorrible
658 1.0

So frightening that people feel afraid

is used more for unpleasant or disturbing matters not always fear
disgusting
vshorrible
531 1.3

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick

is broader covering horror or shock as well as disgust
gross
vshorrible
  • Informal
280 2.3

Very unpleasant and making you feel sick or disgusted

is broader covering horror or shock beyond dirtiness and offense
unpleasant
vshorrible
215 1.0

Not nice and causing discomfort or unhappiness

is stronger implying actual horror or shocking disturbance rather than mild dislike
terrifying
vshorrible
209 5.3

Making people feel very afraid

is less specifically about terror and more about unpleasant shock
horrific
vshorrible
179 5.5

Causing great fear or shock

is broader meaning general unpleasantness rather than intense shock
hideous
vshorrible
171 5.1

Very ugly and likely to make people feel shocked or disgusted

is broader covering disturbing or unpleasant cases beyond ugliness
vile
vshorrible
157 5.0

Very bad and morally wrong

is less about moral wickedness and more about general disturbing unpleasantness
dreadful
vshorrible
136 3.7

Very bad and unpleasant, often causing fear or shock

is more about causing horror or shock than general badness
horrifying
vshorrible
95 4.5

Makes people feel very afraid and shocked

is more general covering unpleasant or disturbing cases not only fear
gruesome
vshorrible
  • NSFW
90 6.2

Shocking and unpleasant because it shows death or serious injury

is wider and not limited to violent injury or death scenes
appalling
vshorrible
87 5.6

Causing shock and strong disgust because it is very bad

is more general meaning extremely unpleasant or disturbing not only dismay
horrendous
vshorrible
82 7.0

Very shocking and scary, causing fear or disgust

is more general used for very bad or disturbing things
grotesque
vshorrible
75 6.9

Being very strange and ugly in a way that shocks or amuses

is more general meaning extremely unpleasant or disturbing but not only odd
awful
vshorrible
  • Archaic
65 1.1

Very frightening and causing fear or dread

is more general applied to very unpleasant or disturbing things
grim
vshorrible
57 4.5

Very bad and shocking, causing people to feel fear or sadness

is less narrow describing many kinds of extreme unpleasantness
horrid
vshorrible
52 4.1

A very unpleasant thing that shocks or disgusts you

focuses more on general unpleasantness rather than only causing horror
ghastly
vshorrible
49 6.8

Causing great fear and shock, often like death or ghosts

is broader and applies to general unpleasant or disturbing situations
hellish
vshorrible
28 6.1

Very unpleasant and painful, like being in hell

is less moral describing general horror or shock rather than helllike evil
monstrous
vshorrible
27 7.3

Very cruel and shocking, causing strong fear

is broader covering disturbing or unpleasant things without moral evil
nightmarish
vshorrible
17 7.0

Very frightening and unpleasant, like a bad dream

is broader covering disturbing or unpleasant experiences not only nightmares
atrocious
vshorrible
12 7.6

Very cruel and shocking, causing great pain and fear

focuses more on general unpleasant or disturbing quality than cruelty
frightful
vshorrible
6 5.1

Very scary and likely to make someone feel afraid

can be used more generally for very bad or unpleasant matters
revolting
vshorrible
6 4.9

Very unpleasant and likely to make you feel disgusted

is more about shock or horror than bodily disgust or aversion
godawful
vshorrible
  • Informal
4 8.2

Very bad and unpleasant, of poor quality

is less about quality and more about causing horror or shock
disgustful
vshorrible
6.7

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making people feel sick

is less focused on revulsion and more on shocking disturbance

Antonyms

1.0

Very good and likely to make you feel happy or amazed

314 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

How Horrible

terrifying
209 5.3
horrific
179 5.5
horrible
1.5
awful
1.0
bad
1.0
unpleasant
215 1.0

Surface Forms

horrible positive
horribler comparative
horriblest superlative

Morphology

horrible = horror (transparent) = horror + ible

The adjective is clearly derived from the noun 'horror' with the adjectival suffix '-ible' meaning 'causing or able to cause', so learners knowing 'horror' can infer 'horrible'.

Etymology

Horrible comes from an old Latin verb horrere, which means 'to shudder' or 'to make your hair stand up'. It shares the same root as horror, so a horrible thing is one that makes you feel shock, fear, or strong disgust.