Dictionary

horrible en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• [-b(ə)ɫ] (US)
• (US) audio
• audio Baltimore
• /ˈhɑɹ.ɪ.bəl/ Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Ireland
• /ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/ (US)
• /ˈhɒɹ.ɪ.bəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

First attested in Middle English (alternately as horrible and orrible) in 1303: from Old French horrible, orrible, orible, from Latin horribilis, from horr(ēre) (“tremble”) + -ibilis (“-ible”).

Meanings

1. Causing horror; terrible; shocking.
   • Some of us have had plastic surgery on our faces and fingerprints. Right now we have a horrible job; we're waiting for the war to begin and, as quickly, end. 1953, Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451:
   • Strangers fainted dead away at the sight of the Laughing Man's horrible face. Acquaintances shunned him. 1949, J. D. Salinger, The Laughing Man:
   • Such a scandal as the prosecution of a brother for forgery—with a verdict of guilty—is a most truly horrible, deplorable, fatal thing. It takes the respectability out of a family perhaps at a critical moment, when the family is just assuming the robes of respectability: […] it is a black spot which all the soaps ever advertised could never wash off. 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
   • Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house. 1933, James Thurber, My Life and Hard Times:
2. Tremendously bad.
   • Having now absorbed all or parts of 750 responses to my complaints about Transformers, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that most of those writing agree with me that it is a horrible movie. 2010, Roger Ebert, Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2010, page 599:

Forms

Deriveds

unhorrible · horribleness · horribly

Relateds

horror · horrendous · horrific · horrify

Synonyms

bad · frightening

Translations (103)

fi karmiva (causing horror, terrible) · ru ужа́сный (tremendously bad) · eo terura (causing horror, terrible) · sk hrozný (causing horror, terrible) · mk страшен (causing horror, terrible) · hi भयंकर (causing horror, terrible) · be стра́шны (causing horror, terrible) · ca horrible (causing horror, terrible) · pl okropny (causing horror, terrible) · sh у̏жа̄сан (causing horror, terrible) · ang eġeslīċ (causing horror, terrible) · be жахлі́вы (causing horror, terrible) · sh ȕžāsan (causing horror, terrible) · ka საშინელი (causing horror, terrible) · kk жантүршігерлік (tremendously bad) · de fies (causing horror, terrible) · fi kauhistuttava (causing horror, terrible) · it orribile (causing horror, terrible) · fr épouvantable (tremendously bad) · sa भीषण (causing horror, terrible) · ja 恐ろしい (causing horror, terrible) · ca horrible (tremendously bad) · ga uafásach (causing horror, terrible) · de entsetzlich (causing horror, terrible) · cs hrozný (causing horror, terrible) · cs strašný (causing horror, terrible) · bg ужасен (tremendously bad) · ml ചീത്ത (tremendously bad) · ar رَهِيب (causing horror, terrible) · cmn 糟透 (tremendously bad) · la horrendus (causing horror, terrible) · hu borzalmas (causing horror, terrible) · ar فَظِيع (tremendously bad) · tr berbat (tremendously bad) · de schrecklich (causing horror, terrible) · it terribile (causing horror, terrible) · nrf hôrribl'ye (causing horror, terrible) · fr horrible (causing horror, terrible) · gl horrible (causing horror, terrible) · ar أَرْبَد (tremendously bad) · ast horrible (causing horror, terrible) · ar فَظِيع (causing horror, terrible) · es horrible (causing horror, terrible) · sh стра́шан (causing horror, terrible) · ga gránna (causing horror, terrible) · ca terrible (tremendously bad) · pl okropny (tremendously bad) · tr korkunç (causing horror, terrible) · ru ужа́сный (causing horror, terrible) · txb empele (causing horror, terrible) · bg ужа́сен (causing horror, terrible) · uk страшни́й (causing horror, terrible) · fr affreux (causing horror, terrible) · sl grozen (causing horror, terrible) · ml ഭയാനകമായ (causing horror, terrible) · la horrificus (causing horror, terrible) · ro groaznic (causing horror, terrible) · nl verschrikkelijk (tremendously bad) · pl straszny (causing horror, terrible) · ru стра́шный (causing horror, terrible) · la horribilis (causing horror, terrible) · de makaber (causing horror, terrible) · ko 끔찍하다 (causing horror, terrible) · fi surkea (tremendously bad) · eo horora (causing horror, terrible) · gl horríbel (causing horror, terrible) · cmn 糟糕 (tremendously bad) · fi kauhea (causing horror, terrible) · sv fasansfull (causing horror, terrible) · sk strašný (causing horror, terrible) · fr horrible (tremendously bad) · ca pèssim (tremendously bad) · cmn 可畏 (causing horror, terrible) · af aaklig (causing horror, terrible) · nl verschrikkelijk (causing horror, terrible) · grc αἰνός (causing horror, terrible) · fi hirvittävä (causing horror, terrible) · ro oribil (causing horror, terrible) · bg стра́шен (causing horror, terrible) · pt horrível (causing horror, terrible) · grc φρικώδης (causing horror, terrible) · ce къемате (causing horror, terrible) · es horroroso (causing horror, terrible) · la dīrus (causing horror, terrible) · cmn 可怕的 (causing horror, terrible) · grc ἄπλατος (causing horror, terrible) · uk жахли́вий (causing horror, terrible) · kk қорқынышты (causing horror, terrible) · de grausig (causing horror, terrible) · sh strášan (causing horror, terrible) · io ledega (causing horror, terrible) · ro îngrozitor (causing horror, terrible) · mk ужасен (causing horror, terrible) · de abscheulich (causing horror, terrible) · lv šausmīgs (causing horror, terrible) · nan-hbl 著災 /著灾 (tremendously bad) · fi kammottava (causing horror, terrible) · hu borzasztó (causing horror, terrible) · ca hòrrid (causing horror, terrible) · hu rettenetes (causing horror, terrible) · is hræðilegur (causing horror, terrible) · sv hemsk (causing horror, terrible) · ca esgarrifós (causing horror, terrible)

horrible en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [-b(ə)ɫ] (US)
• (US) audio
• audio Baltimore
• /ˈhɑɹ.ɪ.bəl/ Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Ireland
• /ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/ (US)
• /ˈhɒɹ.ɪ.bəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

First attested in Middle English (alternately as horrible and orrible) in 1303: from Old French horrible, orrible, orible, from Latin horribilis, from horr(ēre) (“tremble”) + -ibilis (“-ible”).

Meanings

1. A thing that causes horror; a terrifying thing, particularly a prospective bad consequence asserted as likely to result from an act.
   • Here's a carcase. I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing. Such a waggish leering as lurks in all your horribles! 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
   • Many scholars have demonstrated these horribles and contemplated significant limitations on class actions. 2001, Neil K. Komesar, Law's Limits: The Rule of Law and the Supply and Demand of Rights:
   • I'm trying to convince him that the criminal behavior that's going on at the White House has to end. And I give him one horrible after the next. I just keep raising them. He sort of swats them away. 2000 January 21, John Dean, CNN interview:
   • A lot of the possible horribles conjured up by the people objecting to this convention ignore the plain language of this treaty. 1982, United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The Genocide Convention: Hearing Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate:
   • The pot had previously simmered skate wings, cods' heads, whales, pigs' hearts and a long litany of other horribles. 1991, Alastair Scott, Tracks Across Alaska: A Dog Sled Journey:
2. A person wearing a comic or grotesque costume in a parade of horribles.

Forms

Translations (12)

pl okropność (terrifying thing) · ml ബീഭത്സം (terrifying thing) · tr korkunç (terrifying thing) · ro înfricoșare (terrifying thing) · tr berbat (terrifying thing) · ro groază (terrifying thing) · fi kauheus (terrifying thing) · ml ഭീകരം (terrifying thing) · ro înfiorare (terrifying thing) · pt horrível (terrifying thing) · bg ужасия (terrifying thing) · pl okropieństwo (terrifying thing)