ENGLISH
REFERENCE

horrible

adj.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈhɔɹəbəɫ// UK //hˈɒɹɪbəl// hor·ri·ble General-service

adj. very unpleasant, shocking, or bad. You use it to describe things that make you feel disgusted or unhappy.

adj. causing a high degree of distress, disgust, or intense dislike. Often used as a general-purpose intensifier for negative experiences or qualities.


SIMPLE

The weather today is absolutely horrible.

CONTEXTUAL

I had a horrible headache all morning and had to stay in a dark room.

COMPLEX

The witness provided a horrible account of the accident, detailing the events with a level of clarity that left the courtroom in stunned silence.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Commonly modified by intensifiers like 'absolutely', 'really', or 'quite'.

© 2026 English Reference