horrible
adjective
hor·ri·ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl 
ˈhär-
1
: marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion : marked by or arousing horror
a horrible accident
2
: extremely bad or unpleasant
a horrible mistake
horrible food
horrible noun
horribleness noun
horribly
ˈhȯr-ə-blē
adverb ˈhär-
Synonyms
- appalling
- atrocious
- awful
- dreadful
- frightful
- ghastly
- grisly
- gruesome
- grewsome
- hideous
- horrendous
- horrid
- horrific
- horrifying
- lurid
- macabre
- monstrous
- nightmare
- nightmarish
- shocking
- terrible
- terrific
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He suffered a horrible death. The crime scene was too horrible to describe. The team had a horrible season last year. He realized that he had made a horrible mistake.
Recent Examples on the Web The Indianapolis Colts are horrible in Jacksonville. 
Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Sep. 2022 But then again, my effort with Data Wrangler and AutoML wasn't horrible. Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, 15 Aug. 2022 At that period of time, especially in the early episodes of the show, a lot of the episodes were just horrible. Ryan Parker, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2022 Obviously, some people [feel] uncomfortable to come back to that location because of the horrible tragedy. Abc News, ABC News, 25 July 2022 Indeed, email is actually a fairly horrible way for business generally, and small business in particular, to communicate with customers. Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2022 The novel follows two families, who are forever connected after a horrible tragedy occurs, across decades. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE.com, 28 Mar. 2022 Though the reality is horrible, the setup appears conventional. WIRED, 26 Aug. 2022 There can be the most heartbreaking scene in which horrible things happen, and in the midst of that, there are glimmers of humanity that come out through humor. Meredith Tucker, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Aug. 2022 See More
Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Sep. 2022 But then again, my effort with Data Wrangler and AutoML wasn't horrible. Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, 15 Aug. 2022 At that period of time, especially in the early episodes of the show, a lot of the episodes were just horrible. Ryan Parker, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2022 Obviously, some people [feel] uncomfortable to come back to that location because of the horrible tragedy. Abc News, ABC News, 25 July 2022 Indeed, email is actually a fairly horrible way for business generally, and small business in particular, to communicate with customers. Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2022 The novel follows two families, who are forever connected after a horrible tragedy occurs, across decades. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE.com, 28 Mar. 2022 Though the reality is horrible, the setup appears conventional. WIRED, 26 Aug. 2022 There can be the most heartbreaking scene in which horrible things happen, and in the midst of that, there are glimmers of humanity that come out through humor. Meredith Tucker, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
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)" — more at horror entry 1, -able
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
horrible
adjective
hor·ri·ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl
1
: causing horror : terrible
a horrible crash
2
: very unpleasant
a horrible smell
horrible 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent a horrible car accident that left eyewitnesses in a state of shock Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- horrific
- gruesome
- terrible
- nightmare
- shocking
- awful
- horrifying
- dreadful
- frightening
- terrific
- hideous
- terrifying
- horrid
- appalling
- horrendous
- scary
- atrocious
- nightmarish
- ghastly
- sickening
- grisly
- disgusting
- frightful
- monstrous
- macabre
- lurid
- ugly
- fearful
- alarming
- intimidating
- loathsome
- dire
- obscene
- revolting
- abominable
- grewsome
- grotesque
- deplorable
- repulsive
- heinous
- abhorrent
- offensive
- formidable
- direful
- obnoxious
- disagreeable
- repugnant
- unspeakable
- evil
- forbidding
- odious
- vile
- fearsome
- nauseating
- distasteful
- gut-wrenching
- noxious
- bloodcurdling
- redoubtable
- unsightly
- hair-raising
- noisome
- heart-stopping
- foul
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- pleasant
- delightful
- delicious
- attractive
- enjoyable
- satisfying
- agreeable
- appealing
- pleasurable
- welcome
- pleasing
- delectable
- enticing
- inviting
- comforting
- soothing
- cheering
2
as in terrifying
causing fear a horrible scream that made shivers go up and down our spines Synonyms & Similar Words
- terrifying
- terrible
- frightening
- scary
- formidable
- intimidating
- dreadful
- horrifying
- shocking
- dread
- alarming
- horrendous
- fearful
- ghastly
- creepy
- trying
- frightful
- eerie
- startling
- gruesome
- dire
- forbidding
- fearsome
- troubling
- direful
- eery
- disturbing
- hideous
- threatening
- spine-chilling
- discouraging
- weird
- redoubtable
- awful
- unnerving
- hair-raising
- daunting
- horrid
- disconcerting
- demoralizing
- appalling
- perturbing
- nightmarish
- dismaying
- atrocious
- disquieting
- distressing
- grisly
- monstrous
- macabre
- bone-chilling
- grewsome
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reassuring
- comforting
- calming
- soothing
- relaxing
- inviting
- consoling
- tranquilizing
- quieting
- nonthreatening
- tranquillizing
- lulling
- nonintimidating
- pacifying
3
as in awful
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment I can never forgive her for the horrible way she treated me Synonyms & Similar Words
- awful
- disgusting
- ugly
- hideous
- sickening
- dreadful
- shocking
- obscene
- obnoxious
- offensive
- nasty
- unpleasant
- terrible
- evil
- horrid
- horrific
- appalling
- horrendous
- abominable
- gruesome
- loathsome
- gross
- abhorrent
- revolting
- odious
- repulsive
- repugnant
- distasteful
- scandalous
- undesirable
- noxious
- nauseating
- nauseous
- foul
- vile
- repellent
- disturbing
- rancid
- noisome
- miserable
- hateful
- horrifying
- monstrous
- unwanted
- fulsome
- grim
- repellant
- atrocious
- disagreeable
- detestable
- objectionable
- despicable
- heinous
- ghastly
- nightmarish
- sick
- contemptible
- lousy
- unspeakable
- unhealthy
- frightful
- grisly
- execrable
- hard
- unwholesome
- upsetting
- unsavory
- barbarous
- unwelcome
- exceptionable
- macabre
- ungodly
- brackish
- sickly
- unholy
- dislikeable
- dislikable
- uncivilized
- lurid
- sickish
- distressing
- unchristian
- off-putting
- grewsome
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- acceptable
- innocuous
- pleasant
- nice
- delightful
- delicious
- sweet
- desirable
- attractive
- enjoyable
- heavenly
- agreeable
- satisfying
- inoffensive
- alluring
- dreamy
- pleasurable
- appealing
- congenial
- pleasing
- luscious
- blessed
- gratifying
- welcome
- darling
- likable
- likeable
- delectable
- felicitous
- palatable
- savory
- inviting
- savoury
- unobjectionable
- blest
- unexceptionable
- healthy
- dulcet
- wholesome
- healthful
- salutary
- salubrious
- restorative
- delightsome
4
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory I'm never going back to that restaurant; the service was horrible Synonyms & Similar Words
- terrible
- awful
- poor
- atrocious
- bad
- wretched
- rotten
- dismal
- lousy
- defective
- sucky
- execrable
- inadequate
- flawed
- punk
- shameful
- miserable
- insufficient
- lacking
- substandard
- worthless
- useless
- deficient
- contemptible
- mediocre
- inferior
- abominable
- off
- reprehensible
- wanting
- faulty
- vile
- odious
- damnable
- valueless
- bum
- fiendish
- low-grade
- second-rate
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- great
- wonderful
- marvellous
- marvelous
- excellent
- exceptional
- superior
- choice
- adequate
- prime
- sufficient
- acceptable
- bitchin'
- premium
- satisfactory
- first-rate
- first-class
horrible
2 of 2noun
as in terror
Synonyms & Similar Words
- terror
- fright
- horror
- plague
- monster
- demon
- ghoul
- enemy
- banshee
- incubus
- curse
- monstrosity
- torment
- abomination
- imp
- bogeyman
- scourge
- phantom
- bane
- devil
- apparition
- bogyman
- fiend
- specter
- wraith
- fantasm
- poltergeist
- phantasm
- daemon
- ghost
- spirit
- spook
- dread
- spectre
- anathema
- bugbear
- bête noire
- ogre
- black beast
- bugaboo
- shade
- bogey
- bogy
- hobgoblin
- bogie