hor ‧ ri ‧ ble S2 /ˈhɒrəb ə l, ˈhɒrɪb ə l $ ˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin horribilis , from horrere ; ⇨ ↑ horror ]
1 . very bad – used, for example, about things you see, taste, or smell, or about the weather:
The weather has been really horrible all week.
a horrible smell
The food looked horrible, but it tasted OK.
2 . very unpleasant and often frightening, worrying, or upsetting:
a horrible dream
I have a horrible feeling that we’re going to miss the plane.
3 . rude and unfriendly:
She’s a horrible person.
What a horrible thing to say!
be horrible to somebody
Why are you so horrible to me?
—horribly adverb :
Her face was horribly scarred.
The plan had gone horribly wrong.
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THESAURUS
■ taste/smell
▪ horrible very bad and unpleasant:
What’s that horrible smell?
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This fish tastes horrible.
▪ disgusting/revolting horrible, especially in a way that makes you feel slightly sick:
I had to take two spoons of some disgusting medicine.
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The stench in the room was revolting.
▪ nasty very unpleasant – often used about a taste that stays in your mouth:
Cheap wine sometimes leaves a nasty taste in your mouth.
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the nasty smell of bad eggs
▪ nauseating /ˈnɔːzieɪtɪŋ, -si- $ ˈnɒːzi-, -ʃi-/ horrible and making you feel that you are going to ↑ vomit – used especially about a smell:
the nauseating smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke
▪ foul /faʊl/ horrible – used especially when there is decay or waste:
There was a foul smell coming from the water.
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Whatever it was in that cup, it tasted foul.
■ experience, situation, event
▪ horrible/terrible/awful/dreadful very bad and unpleasant:
For one horrible moment, I thought I was going to fall.
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The refugees were living in dreadful conditions.
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It must have been a terrible worry for them.
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Thousands of people lost their jobs – it was awful.
▪ nasty very unpleasant and shocking – used especially about events where people are hurt:
There’s been a nasty accident on the motorway.
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a nasty cut
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The news came as a nasty shock.