horrible

adjective

hor·ri·ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl

ˈhär-

Synonyms of horrible

: marked by or arousing painful and intense fear, dread, dismay, or aversion : marked by or arousing horror

a horrible accident

: extremely bad or unpleasant

a horrible mistake

horrible food

horrible noun

horribleness noun

horribly

ˈhȯr-ə-blē

ˈhär-

adverb

Examples of horrible in a Sentence

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

There’s a big data center that just came to my community not long ago and their community engagement was horrible, absolutely horrible. — Dustin Desoto, Vox, 16 Oct. 2026 After the third day of squirting an experimental drug up his nose, Dylan Meetze felt horrible. — Amy Maxmen, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 The level of fake, clique like high school drama is horrible. — Stephen Korka, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026 Despite the identically horrible records, these teams are in different places. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for horrible

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of horrible was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrible. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

horrible

adjective

hor·ri·ble ˈhȯr-ə-bəl

ˈhär-

: marked by or arousing horror

: extremely unpleasant or bad

horrible food

horribly

-blē

adverb

horrible

adjective

Synonyms of horrible

Examples of horrible in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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horrible

adjective

Synonyms of horrible

Examples of horrible in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for horrible

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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