hideous
/ˈhɪdɪəs
/adjective
1Extremely ugly: hideous lizard-like creatures...
- She described a hideous humpbacked creature with stumpy horns, and bristles down the back of a long neck.
- As well as animal forms, demons can have other grotesque and hideous forms.
- If you decide that your girlfriend was right and you are rather hideous then don't despair.
Synonyms
ugly, unsightly, repulsive, repellent, revolting, gruesome, disgusting, grotesque, monstrous, grim, ghastly, macabre, misshapen, misproportioned, reptilian
informal weird, freaky, as ugly as sin, fugly
British informal like the back end of a bus
New Zealand informal huckery
1.1Extremely unpleasant: the whole hideous story...
- I nearly stayed in, but the thought of the Scottish TV Hogmanay special was just too hideous to contemplate.
- She stuck her arms up into the air and laughed a hideous, horrible laugh.
- To this day, I still feel appalled that there are people who have such hideous and dark sides to them.
Synonyms
horrific, terrible, appalling, awful, dreadful, frightful, fearful, horrible, horrendous, horrifying, shocking, sickening, gruesome, ghastly, very bad, terribly bad, unspeakable, outrageous, abhorrent, monstrous, heinous, abominable, foul, vile, odious, loathsome, contemptible, execrable, indescribable
informal God-awful
British informal beastly
rare egregious
Derivatives
hideousness
/ noun ...- I've been to some grim places in my time, but nothing prepared me for the sheer hideousness of Bristol in the rain.
- Toronto looks its best when seen from a ferry in the lake from where you can admire the CN Tower and surrounding buildings, avoiding the hideousness both to the right and left.
- The hideousness of that thing will haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French hidos, hideus, from hide, hisde 'fear', of unknown origin.