horrible

[ hawr-uh-buhl, hor- ]
See synonyms for: horriblehorriblenesshorribly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. causing or tending to cause horror; shockingly dreadful: a horrible sight.

  2. extremely unpleasant; deplorable; disgusting: horrible living conditions.

Origin of horrible

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (h)orrible, from Old French, from Latin horribilis, equivalent to horr(ēre) “to stand on end, bristle with fear” + -ibilis -ible

Other words for horrible

Opposites for horrible

Other words from horrible

  • hor·ri·ble·ness, noun
  • hor·ri·bly, adverb

Words Nearby horrible

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use horrible in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for horrible

horrible

/ (ˈhɒrəbəl) /


adjective
  1. causing horror; dreadful

  2. disagreeable; unpleasant

  1. informal cruel or unkind

Origin of horrible

1
C14: via Old French from Latin horribilis, from horrēre to tremble

Derived forms of horrible

  • horribleness, noun

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