horrendous

IPA/həˈrendəs/
KK[hˌɔrˈɛndəs]IPA/həˈrendəs/

horrendous — adjective

  • horrendouspositive
  • more horrendouscomparative
  • most horrendoussuperlative

1. Something that is horrendous is extremely unpleasant, shocking people by how bad

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

Something that is horrendous is extremely unpleasant, shocking people by how bad, serious, or upsetting it is — for example, a traffic jam so bad that drivers are stuck for hours, or a crime so cruel that an entire community is shaken.

Example

The weather was horrendous, with heavy rain and strong winds all day.

Passengers called the bus journey horrendous because the roads were so icy.

call/find + something + horrendous

Common collocations
  • horrendous traffic
  • horrendous weather
  • horrendous mess
  • horrendous noise
  • horrendous crime
  • absolutely horrendous
  • truly horrendous
  • so horrendous that
Synonyms
  • dreadful

    slightly more formal; suggests something that inspires fear or deep unease, not just extreme badness

  • appalling

    emphasises the shocking or scandalous nature of something; often used for events or conditions that offend moral standards

  • atrocious

    can mean both extremely cruel (of acts) and very bad (of quality, weather, behaviour)

  • horrible

    the most common word of this group; used in everyday speech for anything that causes disgust, fear, or strong dislike

Antonyms
  • wonderful

    opposite in emotional intensity; suggests something that brings great pleasure

  • delightful

    describes something that is pleasantly enjoyable, the opposite of a shocking negative experience

Grammar Patterns

so + horrendous + that-clause

call/find + something + horrendous

Usage Note

Common in both attributive position (a horrendous mess, horrendous traffic) and predicative position (the weather was horrendous). Use the so…that structure to emphasize the extreme degree or consequence of a situation.

Common Mistakes

The restaurant was horrendous because my soup was cold.
The restaurant was disappointing because my soup was cold.
Horrendous is too strong for minor complaints; reserve it for genuinely shocking cases.
I paid a horrendous price for this shirt.
I paid a very high price for this shirt.
For non-shocking high costs, 'very high' or 'ridiculous' is more natural than horrendous.

Word family

  • horrendously
    adverbC1
  • horrendousness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something extremely unpleasant, but they differ in intensity and use. Horrendous emphasises the shock and overwhelming effect of a situation — for example, a crime or a natural disaster that leaves people shaken. Dreadful is more formal and suggests something that inspires fear or gloom ('dreadful news from the hospital'). Horrible is the most common, everyday word; you can use it for anything from bad food to a frightening movie ('a horrible nightmare'). Appalling focuses on the scandalous or morally offensive aspect of an event ('appalling working conditions in the factory'). Atrocious can refer both to very cruel actions ('atrocious war crimes') and to very bad quality ('atrocious service at the restaurant'). If you want to say that the weather yesterday was bad but not shocking, choose 'dreadful' or 'atrocious' over 'horrendous', which feels too strong for an everyday complaint.

dreadful ↗horrible ↗appallingatrocious

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a horrendous amount of
  • a horrendous number of

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Horrendous comes from the Latin word 'horrendus', meaning 'to be shuddered at' or 'terrible'. This comes from the verb 'horrēre', which means 'to tremble, shudder, or stand on end' (the same root gives us 'horror' and 'horrible'). The word entered English in the 1600s as a stronger, more dramatic way of saying something is extremely bad.

First known use

1659

1659, in the meaning defined above