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 horrible
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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocious
But for every atrocious folly like The Devil Inside, there’s a novel, scary, or entertaining variation on the Blair Witch way.
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A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 30 July 2024
The dollars that are funding this atrocious war could well be spent in a way that would directly benefit Americans.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
One viewpoint is that this is an atrocious violation of human sanctity.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Yet despite the atrocious conditions, the fixture went ahead as planned, and after 90 minutes of less-than-inspiring football, England had beaten Czechoslovakia 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atrocious 
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 30 July 2024
The dollars that are funding this atrocious war could well be spent in a way that would directly benefit Americans.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
One viewpoint is that this is an atrocious violation of human sanctity.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Yet despite the atrocious conditions, the fixture went ahead as planned, and after 90 minutes of less-than-inspiring football, England had beaten Czechoslovakia 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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Former detainees at the horrific Saydnaya prison near Damascus said Amer had disappeared in mid-April 2015 after being tortured there.Raja Razek, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
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Eric Gordon was also supposed to provide some secondary ball-handling off the bench in theory, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old is off to a horrific start this season.Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Although there is high demand among students for internships and other work opportunities, our education-employer ecosystem is doing a horrible job delivering them.Brandon Busteed, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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Everyone is forgetting conveniently about October 7, but that was a horrible day for the world, not for Israel, for the world.TIME Staff, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Thousands of prisoners have now been freed, many after decades of incarceration in brutal conditions.Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
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Winter's brutal grip is continuing Friday for millions across the eastern U.S. as temperatures remain well below average.Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Prehistoric Rock Art Sites Created 'Multisensory Experience' For Hunter-Gatherers By Aristos Georgiou Science and Health Reporter 0 A collection of prehistoric human remains has revealed gruesome insights into a brutal massacre that took place more than 4,000 years ago.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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Police think the gruesome gunshot death is suicide.Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Jack McBrayer plays a flustered resort concierge who delivers the terrible news to two bridezilla-esque adults who won’t be walking down the aisle in white but are still very invested in the nuptials.Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
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Food is terrible, the vibe is off, absolutely trash.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Some Rochester residents disagree and find their city’s methods excessively cruel to the birds.Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Dec. 2024
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The gods prove cruel but not omnipotent, and the modern settings exert their own redemptive pull; the final effect is that of a magic trick, in which the characters manage, in each film’s miraculous closing moments, to slip the bonds of tragedy.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The shocking courtroom assault took place during a sentencing hearing presided by District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus.Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
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Even for an attorney who has taken on so many high-profile cases, Buzbee acknowledges that pursuing shocking allegations against Combs, one of the best-selling musical artists of all time – and not on his home turf – will be a big test of his legal and public relations skills.Andy Rose, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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As a unit, the Bengals defense has been awful, only scoring four PPG, which is the 4th least in the NFL.Steve Bradshaw, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
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But even if the company succeeds, internet users have a way of pushing the boundaries of new tools like this until every possible awful output has been demonstrated.Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 10 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near atrocious
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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