horrible
UK /ˈhɒɹ.ɪ.bəl/ · US /ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/ noun, adjective
Forms horribles horribler horriblest
- noun A thing that causes horror; a terrifying thing, particularly a prospective bad consequence asserted as likely to result from an act.
- noun A person wearing a comic or grotesque costume in a parade of horribles.
- adjective Causing horror; terrible; shocking.
- adjective Tremendously bad.
Synonyms
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Exciting, or tending to excite, horror or fear; dreadful; terrible; shocking; hideous; as, a horrible sight; a horrible story; a horrible murder.
Etymology [OE. horrible, orrible, OF. horrible, orrible, F. horrible, fr. L. horribilis, fr. horrere. See Horror.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “horrible”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details