horrendous

adjective

hor·​ren·​dous hȯ-ˈren-dəs How to pronounce horrendous (audio)
hä-,
hə-
: extremely bad or unpleasant : horrible, dreadful
His audition was horrendous.
horrendous crimes
horrendously adverb

Examples of horrendous in a Sentence

Her taste in clothes is horrendous. a horrendous explosion shook the building
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna joins me now, and this is obviously just a horrendous crime, but has this online vitriol surprised you? ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024 Furtwängler seemed to be superhumanly trying to restore not just the culture but the humanity that Germany had disregarded in its horrendous war. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024 This Bombardier deal looks good long term, with $17 billion in revenue potential, but a guidance cut as a result is horrendous. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024 The tech giant started the year with a horrendous first quarter that had investors fretting the company had lost its mojo after the death of iconic founder Steve Jobs. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for horrendous 

Word History

Etymology

Latin horrendus "inspiring terror or awe, dreadful" (gerundive of horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver") + -ous — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrendous was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near horrendous

Cite this Entry

“Horrendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrendous. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

horrendous

adjective
hor·​ren·​dous hȯ-ˈren-dəs How to pronounce horrendous (audio)
hä-,
hə-
horrendously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on horrendous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!