1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in horrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps
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Recent Examples of atrocious
Meantime, Israel confronted a seven-front war, orchestrated by Iran and its jihadist proxies, beginning with Hamas and its atrocious October 7 attack, and sustained by Hezbollah, which began aerial attacks the following day.
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Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 20 Dec. 2024
Houston’s shooting was atrocious from everywhere on the floor — the team shot only 36.5% from the field, 23.9% from three and 60% from the free-throw line.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 15 Dec. 2024
While my friends and family are at the top of the Christmas list, what about my hair stylist who saved me from that atrocious bang cut or the UPS delivery man who protects my packages from the rain?
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2024
However, their defense has been atrocious, allowing 28.3 points per game, which is tied with the Cowboys for 30th in the NFL.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atrocious 
Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 20 Dec. 2024
Houston’s shooting was atrocious from everywhere on the floor — the team shot only 36.5% from the field, 23.9% from three and 60% from the free-throw line.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 15 Dec. 2024
While my friends and family are at the top of the Christmas list, what about my hair stylist who saved me from that atrocious bang cut or the UPS delivery man who protects my packages from the rain?
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2024
However, their defense has been atrocious, allowing 28.3 points per game, which is tied with the Cowboys for 30th in the NFL.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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This individual’s conduct and language were vile, disgusting, unacceptable, and horrific and have no place in our workplace and society.Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
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One measure passed also looks for long-term recovery plans, referring to work from Santa Rosa and Maui, which have also experienced similar horrific tragedies recently.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Given this area’s rich history with horrible weather and big events at this time of year, there is still a chance that the Cotton Bowl will be postponed until Saturday.Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2025
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How horrible for my sweet little nephews to watch their house disappear like this.Becca Longmire, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
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After decades of conflict with Beijing over discrimination and suppression of their cultural identity, the Chinese government launched a brutal crackdown on the Uyghurs that some Western governments deem a genocide.Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
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The elites got out of positions quickly, while retail investors were left twiddling their thumbs and absorbing brutal losses.Trent Hoerr, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Ten people were murdered in the New York City subway system last year — including the recent, random and gruesome immolation of a homeless New Jersey woman asleep on a Brooklyn train — up from five murders in 2023.Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025
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Did Hawthorne base these characters on the Rev. Ephraim Avery and his young congregant Sarah Maria Cornell, whose gruesome death in 1832 in Fall River, 50 miles south of Boston, shocked all of New England?Liesl Schillinger, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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The start of the Palisades and Eaton Fires was a case of terrible timing: A drought had turned abundant vegetation into crisp fire fuel, and the winter rains were absent.Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Two women were now the lead anchors on Today, creating a powerful symbolism just as terrible revelations were surfacing about several men in the industry.Eric Deggans, NPR, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And having more thoughtful conversations doesn’t preclude the need sometimes to confront those who are needlessly cruel or organizations that benefit from such exploitation.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2025
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In recent months, the Justice Department and the state filed thousands of pages of new records in the lawsuit, including reports and sworn statements from pediatricians, scholars and others who describe Florida’s policies as archaic and cruel.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, the difference is actually pretty shocking.Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 10 Jan. 2025
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On Monday, in a shocking move, Disney announced a deal to merge its Hulu + Live TV service with competitor Fubo.Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2025
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But any Three Mile Island-style tech meltdown would come with awful collateral damage.Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
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After missing 27 games with a left hamstring strain, Zion Williamson returned to the court on Tuesday night and provided one of the few gratifying moments the New Orleans Pelicans could savor during an awful season.William Guillory, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near atrocious
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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