ə.ˈtrōshəs adjective
Etymology: Latin atroc-, atrox gloomy, cruel, atrocious (from atr-, ater black + -oc-, -ox looking, appearing — akin to Latin oculus eye) + English -ious; akin to Armenian airem I set on fire, Avestan ātar- fire, and perhaps to Welsh odyn kiln — more at eye
1. : marked by or given to extreme wickedness
leading an atrocious life
an atrocious criminal
2.
a. : marked by or given to extreme brutality or cruelty : grossly inhumane
his atrocious treatment in prison — Hugh Byas
an atrocious dictatorship
b. : outrageous : violating the bounds of common decency : uncivilized , barbaric
the atrocious exploitation of human beings in mines and mills — M.R.Cohen
3.
a. : extremely painful : marked by intense distress : grievous
he had known long and atrocious sufferings from wounds in the war — Rebecca West
b. : marked by extreme violence : savagely fierce : murderous
atrocious assault and battery
4. : of such a kind as to fill with fright or dismay : appalling , terrible
the atrocious truth blazed in the night like lightning — Elinor Wylie
an atrocious accident
5.
a. : utterly revolting : abominable
atrocious weather
atrocious working conditions
b. : markedly inferior in quality
an atrocious speller
atrocious manners
Synonyms: see outrageous