horrifichor‧rif‧ic /hɒˈrɪfɪk, hə- $ hɔː-, hɑː-/ ●○○ adjective 
a horrific plane crash His injuries were horrific.—horrifically /-kli/ adverb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He lost his legs in a horrific car crash.
- It was a horrific experience. We really thought we were going to die.
- The race was stopped after a horrific accident in which two drivers were killed.
- Ferrie suffered from a rare and horrific condition that had no cure.
- He suffered horrific injuries, and few thought he'd survive.
- Police believe the trap could have had far more horrific consequences, especially for younger riders.
- The beauty spot brings back horrific memories for the couple; memories of a night they were not meant to survive.
- There were more horrific details in the newspaper every day more than now.
- They went off right and did something horrific, while the grunts below confirmed McFall was finding the start no easier.
- Would most multiple rapists have received only seven years for such horrific offences?
Longman Language Activatorbad events/experiences/weather etc
not at all pleasant, enjoyable, or successful: · If the weather's bad, we could go to the museum instead.· bad housing conditionsbad news (=news of a bad event): · I'm afraid I have some bad news.a bad day/year/time etc (=when a lot of unpleasant things happen): · This was a very bad year for the banking industry.· It had been a bad day, and I just wanted to go home.
very bad: · The weather has been terrible lately.· Traffic in the downtown Boston area is awful.· Conditions in the hospital were dreadful. The place was falling apart and it was understaffed.
so bad that you are shocked: · Living conditions in the refugee camps were atrocious.· The appalling weather continued, with harsh winds, fogs and heavy rain.
extremely bad, unpleasant, and often frightening: · It was a horrendous storm.· She is still recovering from a horrendous car accident.
extremely bad, especially in a way that is frightening or upsetting: · It was a horrific experience. We really thought we were going to die.· The race was stopped after a horrific accident in which two drivers were killed.
spoken informal use this to talk about an extremely bad experience or situation: · The traffic coming in to work this morning was a nightmare.· The President's trip turned out to be a nightmare for his security staff.be a complete nightmare: · Our vacation was a complete nightmare. The weather was awful and our hotel was worse.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a horrific plane crashCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
extremely bad, in a way that is frightening or upsetting SYN horrifyinghorrific crash/accident/attack etc a horrific plane crash· We narrowly avoided a nasty accident.· ‘This was an absolutely horrific accident,’ said an ambulance spokesman.
· 'This was a horrific attack,' said Detective Chief Superintendent Ron Astles.
· a horrific crash in which three teenage boys were killed
(also a dreadful crime British English)· What made him commit such a terrible crime?
(=violent and cruel)· He is wanted for the brutal murder of a young girl.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· It was the most horrific thing.· My labouring minutes were occupied with fantasies of the most horrific kind.
NOUN· She shot down stairs faster than she had moved for thirty years, her head full of horrific accidents.
· The horrific attack happened in Middlesbrough as the victim was walking along an unlit path.· Today's horrific attack in Castlerock underlines once again the scale of the task facing Gordon Wilson.· Later, experts were divided over whether two horrific attacks in just five days meant more could be expected.· Her clothing had been ripped away to the waist in the horrific attack, said police spokesman Shlomo Ben Hemo.
· All these men are guilty of horrific crimes.· It was linked with the Manson murders in 1969 and several other horrific crimes.
· Sixty-six pre-Christmas revellers also suffered horrific injuries when a no-warning bomb exploded in the middle of the packed Ballykelly pub.· There were some very horrific injuries amongst them.· He suffered horrific injuries, and few thought he'd survive.· Even the humble sparkler can cause horrific injuries when combined with a highly flammable shell suit.· But these batting efforts were overshadowed in the dying minutes, when David Lawrence suffered an horrific injury.
a horrific plane crash His injuries were horrific.—horrifically /-kli/ adverb