horror
n.-
1 feeling of fear (n.) B1 Intermediatea very strong feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.
an intense, distressing emotion of fear or repugnance. Uncountable in its abstract sense.
ExampleShe watched in horror as the car slid off the icy road.
ExampleThe witnesses spoke of the sheer horror they felt when the building began to sway during the earthquake.
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2 scary stories/films (n.) B1 Intermediatea type of book or film that tries to scare the audience.
a genre of fiction, film, or art designed to evoke feelings of fear, suspense, and the supernatural.
ExampleI don't like watching horror movies late at night because I can't sleep.
ExampleModern horror often relies on psychological tension rather than the graphic violence seen in earlier decades of the genre.
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3 terrible events (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea very bad or unpleasant event or situation.
a specific event or circumstance that excites horror or intense distress. Often used in the plural.
ExampleThe book describes the horrors of the war in great detail.
ExampleThe documentary aimed to expose the daily horrors faced by refugees crossing the border in winter.
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4 naughty person (n.) C1 Advanced Informal British Englisha person, especially a child, who behaves very badly.
a person, typically a child, who is perceived as particularly ill-behaved or troublesome.
ExampleTheir youngest son is a little horror when he doesn't get his way.
ExampleThe nanny resigned after a week, claiming the children were absolute horrors who refused to follow any rules.
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5 strong dislike (n.) C1 Advanced Formala very strong feeling of not liking something.
an intense aversion or strong dislike toward something. Often used with 'of'.
ExampleHe has a horror of being late for important meetings.
ExampleThe architect expressed a profound horror of modern glass towers, preferring the tactile nature of stone and brick.
From Middle English horer, horrour, from Old French horror, from Latin horror (“a bristling, a shaking, trembling as with cold or fear, terror”), from horrere (“to bristle, shake, be terrified”). Displaced native Old English ōga.