atrocious

adjective

ə-ˈtrō-shəs How to pronounce atrocious (audio)
Definition of atrociousnext
1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of atrocious Japan didn’t surrender after the equally atrocious firebombing of Tokyo. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 June 2026 The weather was fairly atrocious for much of my road driving in the RS5, with a mix of rain and late May snow at altitude. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026 And as engineer and tech investor Ben Pouladian told the WSJ, the vibes around Grok are atrocious. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 14 May 2026 Reed’s victims relished a chance at payback when the writer tried his hand at acting in the atrocious 1970 film adaptation of Gore Vidal’s novel Myra Breckinridge. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
  1. horrific
  2. terrible
  3. brutal
  4. gruesome
  5. horrible
  6. cruel
  7. shocking
  8. awful
Adjective
  • The chilling new detail about Jesus Acosta’s horrific spree was revealed at the 31-year-old ex-con’s arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court late Sunday, where he was ordered held without bail for the two cold-blooded shootings.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Then there is the horrific crash on the McHenry County side of the Fox River, where on July 25 Alan Telmini and Magdalena Jablonska, both from Des Plaines, were cruising the river south of the McHenry Dam.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • Whether the outcome will be terrible or beautiful is unclear.
    — Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Feral pigeons are famously terrible nest builders and are drawn to buildings and roofs with features like solar panels, chimneys, eaves, and AC units to make their homes.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • The wait can be brutal for attorneys and their clients, Yannetti told Fox News Digital.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But with one brutal tackle, that opportunity was snatched from him.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • No iPhone footage of the attack to replay in gruesome slow motion.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The inevitable father-son reunion is a result of gruesome circumstances.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice for DAYS OF THUNDER NASCAR audience who are MAGA.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
  • These two rubber bands in our throat are affected by everything from hormones to psychology to a bad day to a horrible night’s sleep to the sniffles or whatever.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Having Sheridan actually be a cruel person was one of the key audience expectations the writer-director hoped to flip in the pursuit of laughs.
    — William Earl, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But Triage does have a moment in which an ember of the old cruel optimism flickers.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • In front of adoring fans in Shanghai, the UFC veteran and perennial contender in the UFC bantamweight division scored a shocking upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event on Saturday.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The August nonfarm payrolls report that releases Friday will be coming off a low set of expectations, given the shocking loss of jobs in July.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • Cyber stocks late last year and into 2026 were being lumped into the awful enterprise software trade.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In 2024, Burke’s squad dragged itself off the mat after an awful (yet at the time, typical) start to the season to go unbeaten in 12 of 13 matches down the stretch and narrowly miss the playoffs.
    — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of awful

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atrium
atrocious
atrociously
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Cite this Entry

“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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