1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
a horrible car accident that left eyewitnesses in a state of shock
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrifying
causing fear
a horrible scream that made shivers go up and down our spines
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in awful
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
I can never forgive her for the horrible way she treated me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
I'm never going back to that restaurant; the service was horrible
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in terror
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horrible
R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
My youngest son, age 27, has been clean and sober for two years, having survived the horrible addiction of fentanyl.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2025
The airways exploded Thursday with news and concern and speculation regarding the horrible American Airlines crash in Washington, DC and the terrible loss of 67 lives.
—Michael B. Teiger, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2025
Everything since like 2016 has just been so hard and so horrible.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for horrible 
Adjective
Over the last two decades, these in-laws have been horrible toward me for simply being an outsider.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
My youngest son, age 27, has been clean and sober for two years, having survived the horrible addiction of fentanyl.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2025
The airways exploded Thursday with news and concern and speculation regarding the horrible American Airlines crash in Washington, DC and the terrible loss of 67 lives.
—Michael B. Teiger, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2025
Everything since like 2016 has just been so hard and so horrible.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for horrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrible
Adjective
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With snipers on rooftops, military vehicles on the streets and troops and cops everywhere, Trump was scheduled to meet with families of those killed and injured in the horrific New Year’s Day attack in NOLA.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2025
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How safe would the thousands be in this city just one month after the horrific attack?—
Scott Thompson,
Fox News,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In its place is the Terran Empire, a brutal and colonizing force that encapsulates the terrifying darkness of this alternative world.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, Irving spent the night venturing off on his own, falling asleep in the forest with terrifying hallucinations.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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My heart was already pounding from the awful climb, but there was a sudden thrill and exhilaration.—
Frank C. Hibben,
Outdoor Life,
13 Feb. 2025
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Vanderbilt Profile Strengths: Competitive metrics, no bad losses, headliner wins vs. Kentucky and Tennessee. Profile Weaknesses: No key road/neutral wins, awful nonconference SOS.—
Jim Root,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There have been plenty of terrible Oscar hosts over the years but this was a car crash that could easily have been avoided.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2025
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Secrets bob to the surface like drowning victims from the deep until nobody — not even the reader — can easily separate the terrible truth from even more terrible fictions.—
M.L. Rio,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But it has generally been marked by moments like the Canadian response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.—
Matina Stevis-Gridneff,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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Also, the already well secured game and the surrounding area is under even more of a lockdown due to the terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that saw 15 people dead when a truck drove straight into a celebrating crowd.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Friday’s 102-86 setback in Brooklyn - marked by a gruesome fourth quarter in which Miami was outscored 31-9 – left the Heat at 25-25.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 Feb. 2025
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Osgood Perkins is back in his horror bag to bring the short story from Stephen King to the big screen, following twin brothers Bill and Hal, who find their father's old toy monkey in the attic, an event which leads to a series of gruesome deaths.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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What ensues is an incredibly artful dance between frightening violence and slapstick humor that reveals both Ani’s inner steel and Igor’s integrity—two strong hooks into the film as a whole.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2025
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For someone living in that position, life can be frightening and overwhelming.—
Bahíyyah Maroon,
Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Since winning at Boise State on Jan. 4 and blowing out Air Force at home four days later, the season had become a grind – a double-digit loss at New Mexico, a rare home loss against UNLV, a string of ugly wins against the Mountain West’s bottom-feeders after overcoming dangerously large deficits.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
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Aside from being ugly, your chocolate will be grainy and crumbly and a little sad.—
Matthew Korfhage,
WIRED,
15 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near horrible
Cite this Entry
“Horrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrible. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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