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atrocious
5 dictionary results for: atrocious
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
a·tro·cious 
[uh-troh-shuhs] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[uh-troh-shuhs] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | extremely or shockingly wicked, cruel, or brutal: an atrocious crime. |
| 2. | shockingly bad or tasteless; dreadful; abominable: an atrocious painting; atrocious manners. |
—Related forms
a·tro·cious·ly, adverb
a·tro·cious·ness, noun
—Synonyms 1. felonious, heinous, monstrous, diabolical, devilish. 2. execrable; detestable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| a·tro·cious
(ə-trō'shəs) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[From Latin atrōx, atrōc-, frightful, cruel; see āter- in Indo-European roots.] a·tro'cious·ly adv., a·tro'cious·ness n. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| atrocious | |
adjective | |
| 1. | shockingly brutal or cruel; "murder is an atrocious crime"; "a grievous offense against morality"; "a grievous crime"; "no excess was too monstrous for them to commit" |
| 2. | exceptionally bad or displeasing; "atrocious taste"; "abominable workmanship"; "an awful voice"; "dreadful manners"; "a painful performance"; "terrible handwriting"; "an unspeakable odor came sweeping into the room" |
| 3. | provoking horror; "an atrocious automobile accident"; "a frightful crime of decapitation"; "an alarming, even horrifying, picture"; "war is beyond all words horrible"- Winston Churchill; "an ugly wound" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: atro·cious
Pronunciation: &-'trO-sh&s
Function: adjective
: characterized by extreme cruelty or viciousness <atrocious assault and battery>
Main Entry: atro·cious
Pronunciation: &-'trO-sh&s
Function: adjective
: characterized by extreme cruelty or viciousness <atrocious assault and battery>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Atrocious
A*tro"cious\, a. [L. atrox, atrocis, cruel, fierce: cf. F. atroce.]1. Extremely heinous; full of enormous wickedness; as, atrocious quilt or deeds. 2. Characterized by, or expressing, great atrocity. Revelations . . . so atrocious that nothing in history approaches them. --De Quincey. 3. Very grievous or violent; terrible; as, atrocious distempers. [Obs.] --Cheyne. Syn: Atrocious, Flagitious, Flagrant. Usage: Flagitious points to an act as grossly wicked and vile; as, a flagitious proposal. Flagrant marks the vivid impression made upon the mind by something strikingly wrong or erroneous; as, a flagrant misrepresentation; a flagrant violation of duty. Atrocious represents the act as springing from a violent and savage spirit. If Lord Chatham, instead of saying "the atrocious crime of being a young man," had used either of the other two words, his irony would have lost all its point, in his celebrated reply to Sir Robert Walpole, as reported by Dr. Johnson. -- A*tro"cious*ly, adv. -- A*tro"cious*ness, n.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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