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.
Governors like Healey, instead of attacking Trump, should be thanking him for shutting down the border, ending the immigrant invasion, and deporting the violent immigrant criminals living in the state committing horrendous crimes. Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2025 There were people crying in the streets, and the panic was horrendous. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025 Without him Friday — and without Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert — Minnesota fell to a tanking Jazz squad, thanks to another bad start, a horrendous third quarter and an inability to finish down the stretch. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2025 Tyrese Haliburton got off to an inexplicably horrendous start, and injuries to most of their wings and bigs throughout the first part of the season led to Indiana playing G Leaguers in NBA games. The Athletic Nba Staff, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Horrendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrendous. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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
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