1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
a horrible car accident that left eyewitnesses in a state of shock
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrifying
causing fear
a horrible scream that made shivers go up and down our spines
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in awful
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
I can never forgive her for the horrible way she treated me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
I'm never going back to that restaurant; the service was horrible
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in terror
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horrible
George Saunders, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
That must have been the most horrible second half of a senior year.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Life is often horrible and wonderful in the same second, right?
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile the parents had suffered years of horrible harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers.
—Rochelle Eastman, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrible
Adjective
Says Liv just told him most horrible story: When teen, Liv got in huge fight with dad.
—George Saunders, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
That must have been the most horrible second half of a senior year.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Life is often horrible and wonderful in the same second, right?
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile the parents had suffered years of horrible harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers.
—Rochelle Eastman, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrible
Adjective
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On the left, contemporary progressives have denounced the original progressive for his horrific opinions of black Americans.—
Christian Schneider,
National Review,
20 Feb. 2025
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Once the fighting stops the horrific Russian losses of men and machines become daily additions to the armed forces.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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His first book, Dark Days vividly and unflinchingly chronicled his terrifying experience being jailed on charges of manslaughter (he was acquitted on all counts).—
Bill Kopp,
SPIN,
20 Feb. 2025
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For those who have watched DOGE storm into their workplace, what is perhaps most terrifying is its attempts to scale.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For a large part, the Heat’s supporting pieces have been awful this season.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
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Hollywood continued to celebrate the fearless first responders who worked to save lives and property during the awful Los Angeles wildfires last month.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This is, on paper, a terrible idea for all involved.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Photo: Will Hart/NBC via Getty Images The Good-to-Know Smash is largely considered terrible.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The revelation is the latest tragic twist for the Bibas family, who have become among the most recognizable victims of the October 7 terror attacks, with confirmation of their deaths triggering an outpouring of grief in Israel.—
Mohammed Tawfeeq,
CNN,
21 Feb. 2025
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That means stopping the campaigns of violence and terror by these vicious groups both in the United States and internationally.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The gruesome murder occurred after an argument about fraudulent credit card charges, prosecutors said.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2025
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Over everything hovers the gruesome mystery of birth, that unnerving manifestation of female destiny by which a small person is formed within a larger one and bursts out like the alien in Alien.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The key, psychologists say, is the emotional weight of those headlines’ content—especially for people who find what’s happening in the U.S. today to be genuinely frightening.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
21 Feb. 2025
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Bates is frightening in her stillness, which makes Annie’s sudden bursts of violence all the more horrifying.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The advanced metrics paint an ugly picture for the Suns as well over that span: 114.0 OffRtg (11th), 117.3 DefRtg (27th), -3.2 NetRtg (21st).—
Evan Sidery,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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Or the constitutional dystopia in which we are now caught, beside which even the ugliest onscreen villainy pales into insignificance?—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrible. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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