horrid

IPA/ˈhɒrɪd/
KK[hˈɔrəd]IPA/ˈhɔːrɪd/

horrid — adjective

  • horridpositive
  • more horridcomparative
  • most horridsuperlative

1. extremely unpleasant, annoying, or unkind — used to describe things you strongly

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

extremely unpleasant, annoying, or unkind — used to describe things you strongly dislike or people who treat you in a mean way.

Example

The horrid smell from the old fridge made Putri feel sick.

collocation: horrid smell / horrid taste

Wren had a horrid time at the dentist yesterday morning.

collocation: have a horrid time

Common collocations
  • horrid weather
  • horrid smell
  • horrid taste
  • horrid dream
  • horrid time
  • horrid child
  • feel horrid
  • taste horrid
  • smell horrid
  • be horrid to someone
Synonyms
  • horrible

    stronger and more common than horrid; suitable for both casual and more serious contexts

  • awful

    very common, similar strength; used across all registers

  • nasty

    focuses more on unkindness in people or unpleasantness in things; slightly more informal

  • unpleasant

    milder and more formal; less emotional than horrid

Antonyms
  • lovely

    opposite in the sense of something being enjoyable or nice

  • kind

    opposite when describing a person's behaviour

  • pleasant

    milder opposite for both things and experiences

Grammar Patterns

a horrid + noun

be/look/taste/smell/feel + horrid

be horrid to + person

Usage Note

Common in British English, especially in everyday informal speech. Can be placed before a noun (a horrid day) or after linking verbs (it smells horrid). Describes ordinary unpleasantness — not used for serious disasters or tragedies.

Common Mistakes

The horrid earthquake destroyed the whole town.
The horrific earthquake destroyed the whole town.
'Horrid' is for everyday unpleasantness; use 'horrific' or 'terrible' for serious disasters.
I feel very horrid about the mistake.' (trying to mean guilty/regretful)
I felt horrid for forgetting her birthday.
'Feel horrid' expresses strong regret or embarrassment about a specific action, not general guilt.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe things you dislike, but they differ in strength and tone. 'Horrible' is the closest in meaning to 'horrid' but is more common and slightly stronger — a horrible accident sounds worse than a horrid accident. 'Awful' is the most frequent in everyday speech and can describe anything from bad weather to terrible news. 'Nasty' leans toward the deliberately unkind side: a nasty remark feels more intentional than a horrid one. 'Unpleasant' is the mildest and most formal — it states dislike without emotion. For example, you might call a film horrid because it bored you, but call it unpleasant if you want to sound more detached. A child's behaviour you'd call horrid or nasty; the weather you'd call horrid, awful, or horrible — rarely unpleasant.

horrible ↗awful ↗nasty ↗unpleasant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have a horrid time
  • be horrid to someone
  • feel horrid about something
  • turn horrid

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'horridus', meaning 'bristly, rough, or dreadful'. That word came from the Latin verb 'horrēre', which meant 'to bristle' or 'to shudder'. The idea was that something so frightening it makes your hair stand on end. English borrowed it in the 1500s through earlier French forms. Over time, the literal 'bristly' meaning disappeared, and the sense softened from 'causing horror' to 'very unpleasant'.