1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocious
The weather was fairly atrocious for much of my road driving in the RS5, with a mix of rain and late May snow at altitude.
—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
And as engineer and tech investor Ben Pouladian told the WSJ, the vibes around Grok are atrocious.
—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
14 May 2026
Reed’s victims relished a chance at payback when the writer tried his hand at acting in the atrocious 1970 film adaptation of Gore Vidal’s novel Myra Breckinridge.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
In other words, atrocious starts have ruined the Sox’s season before anyone had a chance to get excited.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
And as engineer and tech investor Ben Pouladian told the WSJ, the vibes around Grok are atrocious.
—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
14 May 2026
Reed’s victims relished a chance at payback when the writer tried his hand at acting in the atrocious 1970 film adaptation of Gore Vidal’s novel Myra Breckinridge.
—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
In other words, atrocious starts have ruined the Sox’s season before anyone had a chance to get excited.
—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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Chicago city officials have never forgotten the lessons of the historic and horrific heat wave of July 1995, which killed 739 people in the Chicago area.
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Many of these countries are well known for horrific human rights abuses, lack of justice and abysmal detention conditions.
Adjective
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Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.
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Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.
Adjective
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And Addy, perhaps the most brutal American Girl story, is enslaved.
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In January, the government suppressed huge nationwide protests in a brutal crackdown that left thousands dead.
Adjective
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Chris Brown was found liable by a Los Angeles jury on Tuesday for $13 million in the gruesome case of a dog that mauled and disfigured his housekeeper at his home in 2020.
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But as the days dragged on, headlines about power outages and water shortages took a back seat to a far more gruesome and horrific reality.
Adjective
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The Red Sox offense has been horrible this season, but Contreras has been everything the club could have hoped for.
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Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.
Adjective
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The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.
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For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.
Adjective
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Cape Verde began this run by making a statement, producing a shocking 0-0 draw against soccer powerhouse Spain on June 15 in its first-ever World Cup match.
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The Packers then blew a 21-3 halftime lead in the Wild Card round against Chicago, gave up 25 fourth quarter points and eventually suffered a shocking 31-27 loss to the arch-rival Bears.
Adjective
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One year Pippa Middleton faced the awful shame of having to sit in a normal seat after showing up late.
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Sugar is at the forensic lab with the corpse of a man who looks an awful lot like Ji Moon but isn’t Ji Moon (courtesy of Shea Whigham as Tom Flybjerg).
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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