1
as in horrible
causing fear
a horrendous explosion shook the building
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in awful
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
a horrendous breach of good manners that should not escape censure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
emergency room personnel did not flinch even from the most horrendous injuries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of horrendous
The Rockies' horrendous start to the season is the worst 50-game start in the modern MLB era.
—
Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2025
Such a prioritization not only protects the largest number of lives and homes, but recognizes that the horrendous damage caused by wildfires triggers increased homeowner insurance premiums for all Californians and motivates insurers to flee the state.
—Daniel Kolkey, Oc Register, 12 May 2025
Other than Tomoyuki Sugano who has exceeded my expectations, those results have been horrendous.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 May 2025
An ailing right thumb could explain his shooting woes during the postseason, when the fourth-year guard suffered through a horrendous 0-of-15 shooting slump and shot just 4-of-23 over his last six playoff games.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrendous
Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2025
Such a prioritization not only protects the largest number of lives and homes, but recognizes that the horrendous damage caused by wildfires triggers increased homeowner insurance premiums for all Californians and motivates insurers to flee the state.
—Daniel Kolkey, Oc Register, 12 May 2025
Other than Tomoyuki Sugano who has exceeded my expectations, those results have been horrendous.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 May 2025
An ailing right thumb could explain his shooting woes during the postseason, when the fourth-year guard suffered through a horrendous 0-of-15 shooting slump and shot just 4-of-23 over his last six playoff games.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for horrendous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrendous
Adjective
-
Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
-
We were made aware of this horrible activity by Priscilla Olivarez from ILRC, at our annual conference Convening 2025, held in San Antonio.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Even so, some of Lucy’s pronouncements are so truly awful that a blunt snort of laughter is the only response.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 June 2025
-
Romano moved back into the closer role since the loss of Alvarado, and has alternated awesome and awful performances - his ERA is an unsightly 7.40 to date.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
That this horrific upheaval comes care of Lucy’s work is the real kicker.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 June 2025
-
This is what Qasem Hassan had feared from the start—that the horrific violence inflicted on Israelis on October 7th would be used to justify a war without limits, dehumanizing all Palestinians.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability?—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
-
Everyone's fighting power is so terrifying, but the only thing missing is the XBOX robe...—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
My goodness, these men wanted to win the U.S. Open with every bit of their being, to finally win a major championship and make this ugly, rainy day worth the battles behind them.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
-
If his bat is slipping as well, that will be an ugly contract for the Giants.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
Six decades later, Hamas would engage in a gruesome competition with Fatah to outdo one another with terrorist attacks during the 1990s and early 2000s.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
-
But Trump and Epstein’s association has been out in the open for nearly a quarter century; nineties-era footage of the gruesome twosome together at Mar-a-Lago, leering at a group of young cheerleaders, has been circulating since at least 2019.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
-
For example, while the IRA rollback effort will inevitably mean a significant reduction in U.S. federal support for electric vehicles, nevertheless the adoption of EVs continued in Q1 even despite a terrible quarter for the U.S.’s leading brand (Tesla).—
Rob Day,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
All the juicy — and disgusting — details of each inspection can be found in a PDF embedded under each restaurant’s entry.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2025
-
War is disgusting, and that extraordinary chapter, which concluded what was undoubtedly the most terrible war in history, provides no exception ...—
Charles C. W. Cooke,
National Review,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horrendous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrendous. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share