If you describe a physical attack, accident, or injury as horrific, you mean that it is very bad, so that people are shocked when they see it or think about it.
I have never seen such horrific injuries.
The slaughter was horrific.
Synonyms: horrifying, shocking [informal], appalling, frightening More Synonyms of horrific
horrificallyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
He had been horrifically assaulted before he died.
2. adjective
If you describe something as horrific, you mean that it is so big that it is extremely unpleasant.
...piling up horrific extra amounts of money on top of your original debt.
horrificallyadverb [ADVERB adjective]
Opera productions are horrifically expensive.
horrific in British English
(hɒˈrɪfɪk, hə-)
adjective
provoking horror; horrible
Derived forms
horrifically (horˈrifically)
adverb
horrific in American English
(hɔˈrɪfɪk; həˈrɪfɪk)
adjective
horrifying; horrible
Word origin
Fr horrifique < L horrificus < horrere, to bristle (see horrid) + facere, to make (see do1)
Examples of 'horrific' in a sentence
horrific
He's had a horrific leg injury.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We're both strong characters and will bounce back from this horrific accident.
The Sun (2017)
In September, he finally stood trial for his horrific crimes.
The Sun (2016)
That's what happened to the Bournemouth striker last season when he suffered a horrific knee injury.
The Sun (2016)
The runner claims it was a horrific accident.
The Sun (2014)
It is difficult to imagine a more horrific attack.
The Sun (2015)
Some have gone on to commit further horrific crimes.
The Sun (2009)
There was no way he was going to stand around and watch something this horrific happen.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
My thoughts are with all those affected by this horrific accident.
The Sun (2014)
Police officers simply did not take seriously the horrific crimes being committed under their noses.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This way you could see the horrific casualty of war.
The Sun (2013)
The attack also offers an horrific example of something else.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It was as if we had witnessed the most horrific car accident.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It was horrific to see her like that.
The Sun (2014)
Knowing that people who have done something so horrific are still walking the streets.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
And other cities around the world have suffered horrific property price crashes after bold claims were made for their uniqueness.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
After surviving such a horrific crash the last thing either of us wanted was to have to take to the skies again.
Frankie Dettori with Jonathan Powell FRANKIE: The Autobiography of Frankie Dettori (2004)
One of these killings is a horrific murder, not a battlefield death.
Christianity Today (2000)
The striker has been sidelined since sustaining the horrific injury in January.
The Sun (2011)
It's horrific to think of either.
The Sun (2011)
I keep getting horrific panic attacks.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
No wonder they had dropped into the relegation zone while he was recovering from his horrific stomach injury - a torn bowel - earlier in the season.
The Sun (2007)
In other languages
horrific
British English: horrific ADJECTIVE
If you describe a physical attack, accident, or injury as horrific, you mean that it is very bad.
I have never seen such horrific injuries.
American English: horrific
Brazilian Portuguese: horroroso
Chinese: 极其可怕的
European Spanish: horroroso
French: horrible
German: schrecklich
Italian: spaventoso
Japanese: すさまじい
Korean: 무시무시한
European Portuguese: horroroso
Latin American Spanish: horroroso
All related terms of 'horrific'
horrific attack
To attack a person or place means to try to hurt or damage them using physical violence .
horrific crash
A crash is an accident in which a moving vehicle hits something and is damaged or destroyed .
horrific death
Death is the permanent end of the life of a person or animal.
horrific ordeal
If you describe an experience or situation as an ordeal , you think it is difficult and unpleasant.
horrific accident
An accident happens when a vehicle hits a person, an object, or another vehicle, causing injury or damage .
horrific incident
An incident is something that happens , often something that is unpleasant.
Chinese translation of 'horrific'
horrific
(hɔˈrɪfɪk)
adj
[injury, accident, crime]极(極)其可怕的 (jíqí kěpà de)
(adjective)
Definition
provoking horror
I have never seen such horrific injuries.
Synonyms
horrifying
shocking (informal)
I must have been in a shocking state last night.
appalling
They have been living under the most appalling conditions.
frightening
The latest crime statistics are frightening.
awful
Even if the weather's awful there's still lots to do.
terrifying
one of the most terrifying diseases known to man
grim
They painted a grim picture of growing crime.
dreadful
They told us the dreadful news.
horrendous
The violence used was horrendous.
ghastly
a particularly ghastly murder
from hell (informal)
grisly
a series of grisly murders
frightful
We were trapped overnight in frightful conditions.
hellacious (US, slang)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of appalling
Definition
causing dismay, horror, or revulsion
They have been living under the most appalling conditions.
Synonyms
horrifying,
shocking (informal),
terrible,
alarming,
frightening,
scaring,
awful,
terrifying,
horrible,
grim,
dreadful,
intimidating,
dismaying,
horrific,
fearful (informal),
daunting,
dire,
astounding,
ghastly,
hideous,
shameful,
harrowing,
vile,
unnerving,
petrifying,
horrid,
unspeakable,
frightful,
nightmarish,
abominable,
disheartening,
godawful (slang),
hellacious (US, slang),
from hell (informal)
in the sense of awful
Even if the weather's awful there's still lots to do.