horrendous

adjective

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

Synonyms of horrendous

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Examples of horrendous in a Sentence

Her taste in clothes is horrendous. a horrendous explosion shook the building
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The baby didn’t make it, and neither did the wife, who died a year later, a victim of the horrendous pandemic that swept the planet clean. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026 Barkley is the undeniable RB1 in the City of Brotherly Shove, but his horrendous advanced metrics profile paints a grim picture. — Brad Evans, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 After years of horrendous scandals, OpenAI has seemingly admitted that ChatGPT wasn’t safe for teenage users. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026 There would be periods of spectacular growth followed by horrendous swoons that would wipe out all of the gains. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for horrendous

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

Rhymes for horrendous

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Browse Nearby Words

horra
horrendous
horrent
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Cite this Entry

“Horrendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrendous. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

horrendous

adjective
hor·​ren·​dous hȯ-ˈren-dəs How to pronounce horrendous (audio)
hä-, 
hə-
: dreadful, horrible
horrendously adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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