Horrible — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈhȯr-ə-bəl/ hor·ri·ble

Meaning & Definition of Horrible

Horrible (adjective)

  1. marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion, marked by or arousing horror
  2. extremely bad or unpleasant

Horrible (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. extremely disturbing or repellent

    "a horrible car accident that left eyewitnesses in a state of shock"

    similar: appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, 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. causing fear

    "a horrible scream that made shivers go up and down our spines"

    similar: alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, shocking, spine-chilling, terrible, terrifying
    related: daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, appalling, atrocious, awful, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish
    near: calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening

  3. causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment

    "I can never forgive her for the horrible way she treated me"

    similar: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, evil, foul, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, rancid, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, ugly
    related: exceptionable, objectionable, brackish, disagreeable, dislikable, unpleasant, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful, unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome, execrable, lousy, miserable, atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, sick, sickish, sickly, terrible, unspeakable, vile, off-putting, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, barbarous, unchristian, uncivilized, ungodly, unholy, distressing, disturbing, upsetting
    opposite: innocuous, inoffensive
    near: acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, attractive, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, savory, sweet, welcome, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, healthful, healthy, restorative, salubrious, salutary, wholesome

  4. extremely unsatisfactory

    "I'm never going back to that restaurant; the service was horrible"

    similar: abysmal, atrocious, awful, dismal, execrable, 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

Horrible (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in horror, monster

    similar: fright, horror, monster, monstrosity, terror, banshee, bogeyman, demon, devil, fiend, ghoul, imp, incubus, bane, curse, enemy, plague, scourge, torment, apparition, ghost, phantasm, phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter, spirit, spook, wraith, abomination, anathema, bête noire, black beast, bogey, bugaboo, bugbear, dread, hobgoblin, ogre

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Horrible

The most common words with a similar meaning to Horrible:

Slang: sucky
appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific, alarming, dire, direful, dread, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, hair-raising, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, spine-chilling, terrifying, abhorrent, abominable, disgusting, distasteful

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Horrible

Words with the opposite meaning of Horrible:

innocuous, inoffensive, bitchin', great, marvelous, wonderful

Related Words for Horrible

bloodcurdling, gut-wrenching, heart-stopping, deplorable, disagreeable, heinous, unspeakable, vile, grotesque, unsightly, daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, exceptionable, objectionable

Near Antonyms of Horrible

agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, cheering, comforting, soothing, calming, consoling, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening, acceptable, alluring, blessed

Word Forms of Horrible

Derived words: horrible (noun), horribleness (noun), horribly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Horrible

Middle English orible, horrible, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin horribilis, from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle (of hair, weapons, plants), shudder, shiver" + -ibilis "capable of exhibiting or causing (the action of the verb)" horror:1, -able

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Horrible

Frequently Asked Questions about Horrible

What does "Horrible" mean?

"Horrible" means marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion, marked by or arousing horror. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion, marked by or arousing horror. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Horrible"?

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

What are different ways to say "Horrible"?

There are 188 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Horrible". Common alternatives include appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous and horrendous.

What is the opposite of "Horrible"?

Antonyms of "Horrible" include innocuous, inoffensive, bitchin', great, marvelous and wonderful. Near antonyms include agreeable, appealing, attractive and delectable.

How do you use "Horrible" in a sentence?

Examples of "Horrible" in a sentence: "a horrible car accident that left eyewitnesses in a state of shock"; "a horrible scream that made shivers go up and down our spines"; "I can never forgive her for the horrible way she treated me".

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

"Horrible" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Horrible" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Horrible" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Horrible"?

"Horrible" is pronounced /ˈhȯr-ə-bəl/ and divided into syllables as hor·ri·ble.