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]
• (New York City, Philadelphia, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑɹɪbəl/
• Hyphenation: hor‧ri‧ble

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

Translations

References

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin horribilis.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

horrible (epicene, plural horribles)

1. horrible

Related terms

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin horribilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [uˈrib.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [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/
• Hyphenation: ho‧rri‧ble

Adjective

horrible (plural horribles)

1. horrible (causing horror)

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

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

Galician

Alternative forms

• horríbel

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin horribilis.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

horrible m or f (plural horribles)

1. horrible

Derived terms

• horriblemente

Related terms

• horror

Further reading

• “horrible”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

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 [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10