horrendous

adjective

hor·​ren·​dous hȯ-ˈren-dəs How to pronounce horrendous (audio)
hä-,
hə-
: extremely bad or unpleasant : horrible, dreadful
His audition was horrendous.
horrendous crimes
horrendously adverb

Examples of horrendous in a Sentence

Her taste in clothes is horrendous. a horrendous explosion shook the building
Recent Examples on the Web The plane sits on the tarmac without moving for 92 horrendous minutes. Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024 Meanwhile, the toll of the war on Palestinians has been horrendous: more than 33,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed since October 7, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024 Miss Manners suggests dealing with that horrendous problem first. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024 The good news is that the Panthers are at least putting themselves in position to no longer be horrendous. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024 However, one bright moment in what has been a horrendous 10 months for the club could be the contract extension of Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Emmet Gates, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024 After a horrendous end to the season, the Philadelphia Eagles will not be hosting a playoff game in 2024. Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 My days were horribly split, going from gorgeous rainbows to horrendous black and white. Michael Schneider, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 His injury record over the past two years has been horrendous and his return to Juventus has been an unquestionable disaster. Emmet Gates, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horrendous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin horrendus "inspiring terror or awe, dreadful" (gerundive of horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver") + -ous — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrendous was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near horrendous

Cite this Entry

“Horrendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrendous. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

horrendous

adjective
hor·​ren·​dous hȯ-ˈren-dəs How to pronounce horrendous (audio)
hä-,
hə-
horrendously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on horrendous

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