Horribly — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

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

Meaning & Definition of Horribly

Horribly (adjective)

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

Horribly (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in terribly, awfully

    similar: abysmally, atrociously, awfully, damnably, deplorably, detestably, disastrously, dreadfully, execrably, horrendously, horrifically, rottenly, terribly, bad, badly, deficiently, inadequately, lousily, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily, wretchedly, intolerably, unbearably, inappropriately, incorrectly, indecently, reprehensibly, unsuitably, vulgarly, naughtily, egregiously, flagrantly, grossly, miserably, shoddily, sleazily, trashily, unspeakably, abominably, odiously, vilely, inferiorly, insufficiently, meagerly, meanly, scantily, scantly, shabbily, skimpily, sparely, stingily
    opposite: acceptably, adequately, all right, fine, good, nicely, OK, palatably, passably, satisfactorily, so-so, tolerably, well, appropriately, congruously, correctly, decently, decorously, felicitously, fittingly, meetly, rightly, seemly, suitably, exactly, faithfully, ideally, precisely, respectably, gratifyingly, satisfyingly

Related Entry: Horrible (adjective)

Horrible is a different word from Horribly. The synonyms below are for horrible, not for horribly.

  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

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Horribly

The most common words with a similar meaning to Horribly:

abysmally, atrociously, awfully, damnably, deplorably, detestably, disastrously, dreadfully, execrably, horrendously, horrifically, rottenly, terribly, bad, badly, deficiently, inadequately, lousily, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily, wretchedly, intolerably, unbearably, inappropriately, incorrectly, indecently, reprehensibly, unsuitably, vulgarly, naughtily, egregiously, flagrantly, grossly, miserably, shoddily, sleazily, trashily, unspeakably, abominably

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Horribly

Words with the opposite meaning of Horribly:

acceptably, adequately, all right, fine, good, nicely, OK, palatably, passably, satisfactorily, so-so, tolerably, well, appropriately, congruously, correctly, decently, decorously, felicitously, fittingly, meetly, rightly, seemly, suitably, exactly, faithfully, ideally, precisely, respectably, gratifyingly

Word Forms of Horribly

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

Origin & Etymology of Horribly

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

Frequently Asked Questions about Horribly

What does "Horribly" mean?

"Horribly" means marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion, marked by or arousing horror. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion, marked by or arousing horror.

What is another word for "Horribly"?

Other words for "Horribly" include abysmally, atrociously, awfully, damnably, deplorably, detestably, disastrously and dreadfully. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Horribly" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Horribly"?

There are 52 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Horribly". Common alternatives include abysmally, atrociously, awfully, damnably, deplorably, detestably, disastrously, dreadfully, execrably and horrendously.

What is the opposite of "Horribly"?

Antonyms of "Horribly" include acceptably, adequately, all right, fine, good, nicely, OK and palatably.

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

"Horribly" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Horribly"?

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

What is the origin of the word "Horribly"?

"Horribly" comes from 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.

What is another word for "Horribly" meaning "as in terribly, awfully"?

When "Horribly" (adverb) means as in terribly, awfully, synonyms include abysmally, atrociously, awfully, damnably, deplorably and detestably. Opposites in this sense include acceptably, adequately, all right and fine.