atrocious

adjective

atro·​cious ə-ˈtrō-shəs 

1

: extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel : barbaric

prisoners subjected to atrocious treatment

2

: appalling, horrifying

the atrocious weapons of modern war

an atrocious accident

3

a

: utterly revolting : abominable

atrocious working conditions

atrocious weather

b

: of very poor quality

atrocious handwriting

atrociously adverb

atrociousness noun

Synonyms

• appalling
• awful
• dreadful
• frightful
• ghastly
• grisly
• gruesome
• grewsome
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrid
• horrific
• horrifying
• lurid
• macabre
• monstrous
• nightmare
• nightmarish
• shocking
• terrible
• terrific

Examples of atrocious in a Sentence

… much of the manufactured-home industry employed sales practices that were atrocious. The need for meaningful down payments was frequently ignored. Sometimes fakery was involved. Moreover, impossible-to-meet monthly payments were being agreed to by borrowers who signed up because they had nothing to lose. —Warren E. Buffett, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2009

In the hands of a succession of more or less sadistic colonial governors and prison officers, convicts, particularly repeat offenders, found themselves subjected to atrocious punishments, flogged, committed to chain gangs, kept in underground pits, starved, and bullied. —Caroline Moorehead, New York Review of Books, 16 Nov. 2006

It would seem that by now the Tigers might be weary of analyzing their roller-coaster season, sick of reliving their atrocious 9-23 start and comparing it with their recent hot streak. —Sports Illustrated, 4 Sept. 2000

an atrocious period in the nation's history

an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force

Recent Examples on the Web

But for every atrocious folly like The Devil Inside, there’s a novel, scary, or entertaining variation on the Blair Witch way. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 30 July 2024

The dollars that are funding this atrocious war could well be spent in a way that would directly benefit Americans. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024

One viewpoint is that this is an atrocious violation of human sanctity. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Yet despite the atrocious conditions, the fixture went ahead as planned, and after 90 minutes of less-than-inspiring football, England had beaten Czechoslovakia 1-0 at Wembley Stadium. —George Ramsay, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin atroc-, atrox gloomy, atrocious, from atr-, ater black + -oc-, -ox (akin to Greek ōps eye) — more at eye

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

atrocious

adjective

atro·​cious ə-ˈtrō-shəs 

1

: savagely wicked, brutal, or cruel

2

: very bad

atrocious weather

atrociously adverb

atrociousness noun

Legal Definition

atrocious

adjective

atro·​cious ə-ˈtrō-shəs 

: characterized by extreme cruelty or viciousness

atrocious assault and battery