Atrocious — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ə-ˈtrō-shəs/ atro·cious

Meaning & Definition of Atrocious

Atrocious (adjective)

  1. extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel, barbaric
  2. appalling, horrifying
  3. utterly revolting, abominable

Atrocious (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. extremely disturbing or repellent

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

    similar: appalling, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific
    related: alarming, bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, gut-wrenching, hair-raising, heart-stopping, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, terrifying, abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, abominable, evil, foul, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable, vile, grotesque, ugly, unsightly
    near: agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, cheering, comforting, soothing

  2. extremely unsatisfactory

    "the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious"

    similar: abysmal, awful, dismal, execrable, horrible, lousy, punk, rotten, sucky (slang), terrible, wretched
    related: bad, deficient, inferior, off, poor, substandard, wanting, contemptible, miserable, shameful, defective, faulty, flawed, low-grade, mediocre, reprehensible, second-rate, bum, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, abominable, damnable, fiendish, odious, vile
    opposite: bitchin' (slang), great, marvelous, wonderful
    near: choice, excellent, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, premium, prime, superior, adequate, sufficient, acceptable, satisfactory

  3. having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others

    "the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps"

    similar: barbaric, barbarous, brutal, brute, butcherly, cruel, fiendish, heartless, inhuman, inhumane, sadistic, savage, truculent, vicious, wanton, red in tooth and claw
    related: hard-hearted, ironhearted, merciless, pitiless, ruthless, stonyhearted, unfeeling, fell, ferocious, grim, bloodthirsty, cutthroat, murderous, sanguinary, sanguine, catty, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, mean, nasty, spiteful, vindictive, draconian, draconic, hardhanded, harsh, heavy-handed, oppressive
    opposite: benign, benignant, compassionate, good-hearted, humane, kind, kindhearted, sympathetic, tenderhearted
    near: tender, warm, warmhearted, charitable, clement, lenient, merciful, pitying, pacific, peaceable, peaceful

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Atrocious

The most common words with a similar meaning to Atrocious:

Slang: sucky
appalling, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific, abysmal, dismal, execrable, lousy, punk, rotten, wretched, barbaric, barbarous, brutal, brute, butcherly, cruel, fiendish, heartless, inhuman, inhumane, sadistic, savage

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Atrocious

Words with the opposite meaning of Atrocious:

bitchin', great, marvelous, wonderful, benign, benignant, compassionate, good-hearted, humane, kind, kindhearted, sympathetic, tenderhearted

Related Words for Atrocious

alarming, bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, gut-wrenching, hair-raising, heart-stopping, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, terrifying, abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting

Near Antonyms of Atrocious

agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, cheering, comforting, soothing, choice, excellent, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, premium, prime, superior, adequate, sufficient, acceptable, satisfactory, tender

Word Forms of Atrocious

Derived words: atrociously (adverb), atrociousness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Atrocious

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

First known use: 1604

Frequently Asked Questions about Atrocious

What does "Atrocious" mean?

"Atrocious" means extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel, barbaric. As an adjective, it is defined as: extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel, barbaric. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Atrocious"?

Other words for "Atrocious" include appalling, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome and hideous. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Atrocious" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Atrocious"?

There are 144 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Atrocious". Common alternatives include appalling, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous and horrible.

What is the opposite of "Atrocious"?

Antonyms of "Atrocious" include bitchin', great, marvelous, wonderful, benign, benignant, compassionate and good-hearted. Near antonyms include agreeable, appealing, attractive and delectable.

How do you use "Atrocious" in a sentence?

Examples of "Atrocious" in a sentence: "an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force"; "the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious"; "the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps".

Is "Atrocious" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Atrocious" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Atrocious"?

"Atrocious" is pronounced /ə-ˈtrō-shəs/ and divided into syllables as atro·cious.

What is the origin of the word "Atrocious"?

"Atrocious" comes from Latin atroc-, atrox gloomy, atrocious, from atr-, ater black + -oc-, -ox (akin to Greek ōps eye) eye. First known use: 1604.