as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously
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Recent Examples of horrific
The Clippers got off to a horrific start (6-21), but turned things around over the last 23 games (17-6).
—
Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The most outspoken of the Turpin siblings, Jordan has been focused on healing from her horrific experiences with both her parents and foster parents.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
In the movie, which has already been touted as a 2027 Oscar contender by awards pundits, Tatum plays the father of a young girl who is traumatized after witnessing a horrific crime in a public park.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Alexander's parents, Matt and Christy Brown, were overjoyed to have turned their son's horrific diagnosis into something positive.
—Lauren Victory, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Zach Harper, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The most outspoken of the Turpin siblings, Jordan has been focused on healing from her horrific experiences with both her parents and foster parents.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
In the movie, which has already been touted as a 2027 Oscar contender by awards pundits, Tatum plays the father of a young girl who is traumatized after witnessing a horrific crime in a public park.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Alexander's parents, Matt and Christy Brown, were overjoyed to have turned their son's horrific diagnosis into something positive.
—Lauren Victory, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrific
Adjective
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This story is set in a gruesome, violent, vile world.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
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Throughout the last two days, Ivey centered himself in faith and gratitude — two grounding principles for a player whose career was derailed in January 2025 by a gruesome leg injury.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This shocking ignorance and insensitivity by Ocasio-Cortez should rule her out of any potential presidential bid or other high office.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Viewers barely have time to register what’s in front of them before there’s another shocking accusation, revelation, or character detail.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And for the next year its law enforcement members were hailed as heroes for their efforts that prevented a horrible situation from becoming even worse.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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There’s nary a crease to be seen in Bina Daigeler’s costumes, all covetable, unapproachable and tailored to the gods; Matthew Herbert’s score may be among the lushest ever slathered over such horrible goings-on.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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America just passed the 50th anniversary of one of its truly terrible days — one that future historians can track as the beginning of the end of our democracy.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
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Busch was terrible defensively at third.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That alone would be nightmare enough, but this debate has been constructed and is moderated by Sam Reich.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The trail of terror since is too long to lay out in all its horrifying detail—in Madrid and Munich, in Strasburg and Stockholm, and all the way to Hamas’s mass murder of Jews on October 7, 2023.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
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While the Guthrie disappearance is a rare but horrifying instance of the perils of an elderly person living alone, many families struggle with worry and concern over older relatives who live by themselves.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The bodycam video was an eye-opening look at the frightening aftermath of the Brown campus shooting when police were searching room-by-room for the suspect, trying to comfort and care for terrified students, and trying to coordinate with campus police to get past locked doors.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
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In 2017 Dikansh Parmar of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Germany, rescued an Indian cobra (Naja naja) coiled around a train’s window bars that was hissing and, understandably, frightening passengers.—
Richard Kemeny,
Scientific American,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrific. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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