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horribly

adv. manner
B1 Intermediate US //ˈhɔɹəbɫi// UK //hˈɒɹɪbli// hor·ri·bly

adv. in a very bad, unpleasant, or shocking way. You can also use it to mean 'extremely' when you are talking about something negative.

adv. in a manner that causes horror, disgust, or extreme discomfort; also used as an intensifier for negative qualities.


SIMPLE

The movie ended horribly.

CONTEXTUAL

The experiment went horribly wrong, resulting in a small fire that destroyed the laboratory equipment.

COMPLEX

The witness described the scene horribly, providing graphic details that left the entire courtroom in a state of stunned silence.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English horribly, horribely, horribliche, horriblelyche, equivalent to horrible + -ly.

Usage

When used as an intensifier, it typically precedes the adjective it modifies (e.g., 'horribly expensive').

Pitfall

The food tasted horriblely.The food tasted horribly.When turning adjectives ending in '-le' into adverbs, the 'e' is replaced by 'y' rather than adding '-ly' to the full word.

Idioms1 entry

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