horrible

English Online Dictionary. What means horrible‎? What does horrible mean?

English

Etymology

First attested in Middle English (alternately as horrible and orrible) in 1303: from Old French horrible, orrible, orible, from Latin horribilis, from horr(ēre) (“tremble”) + -ibilis (“-ible”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɒɹɪbəl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhɔɹɪbəl/, /ˈhɒɹɪbəl/, [-bəɫ]
• (NYC, Philadelphia, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑɹɪbəl/

Noun

horrible (plural horribles)

1. A thing that causes horror; a terrifying thing, particularly a prospective bad consequence asserted as likely to result from an act.
2. A person wearing a comic or grotesque costume in a parade of horribles.

Translations

Adjective

horrible (comparative horribler or more horrible, superlative horriblest or most horrible)

1. Causing horror; terrible; shocking.
2. Tremendously bad.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:frightening
• See Thesaurus:bad

Related terms

• horrific
• horrify
• horror
• horrendous

Translations

References

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin horribilis.

Adjective

horrible (epicene, plural horribles)

1. horrible

Related terms

• horror

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin horribilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [uˈrib.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [oˈri.ble]

Adjective

horrible m or f (masculine and feminine plural horribles)

1. horrible

Derived terms

• horriblement

Related terms

• horror

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French horrible, orrible, orible, borrowed from Latin horribilis.

Pronunciation

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /ɔ.ʁibl/

Adjective

horrible (plural horribles)

1. horrible (causing horror)

Derived terms

• horriblement

Related terms

• horreur

Further reading

• “horrible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Alternative forms

• horríbel

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin horribilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈriβlɪ/

Adjective

horrible m or f (plural horribles)

1. horrible

Derived terms

• horriblemente

Related terms

• horror

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French horrible, orrible, orible, from Latin horribilis.

Adjective

horrible

1. horrible

Descendants

• English: horrible

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin horribilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oˈrible/ [oˈri.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -ible
• Syllabification: ho‧rri‧ble

Adjective

horrible m or f (masculine and feminine plural horribles)

1. horrible

   Synonym: desapacible

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “horrible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014