1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in horrible
extremely unsatisfactory
the picture quality on the pirated DVD was atrocious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
the atrocious treatment of prisoners at the camps
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of atrocious
On Saturday, in atrocious Ruhr Valley conditions, Schalke and Dortmund’s academies contested an under-17 derby.
—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The team's offense has been absolutely atrocious to start 2025.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The Patriots’ pass coverage without Christian Gonzalez, their atrocious inside linebacker play and roller-coaster special teams, which give any adoring fan a heart attack at a moment’s notice.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
The effort levels are atrocious.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The team's offense has been absolutely atrocious to start 2025.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The Patriots’ pass coverage without Christian Gonzalez, their atrocious inside linebacker play and roller-coaster special teams, which give any adoring fan a heart attack at a moment’s notice.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
The effort levels are atrocious.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
-
The tragedy in question is no secret — Chris and Jenny are killed together in a horrific car accident, which inspires all sorts of awful questions — and the fallout is mostly predictable.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
-
How the stakeholders juggled those diametrically opposed ideas—liberty and self-governance but also slavery and their horrific treatment of the Native American population—is the part of the human experience that Burns is most interested in exploring.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The New York Jets’ Sunday began with a horrible loss, as legendary center Nick Mangold passed away after a long battle with kidney disease.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Šilovs did, however, look horrible in the shootout.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Simulations take place between October and March in brutal winter conditions, when the Gobi freezes solid.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
-
This early modern period would set the foundations of the rise of the transatlantic slave trade and a new form of slavery—hereditary racial slavery—that would be central to the creation of the racial-caste hierarchy and to the rise of Britain’s wealthy and brutal Caribbean slave empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Halloween was significantly more graphic than many of its predecessors, and Zombie said the gruesome violence was a deliberate choice and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy viewing.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The five-minute mash-up rapidly intercuts scenes of happy domesticity (a loving mother, kids in face paint eating popcorn in front of the tube, teens affectionately goofing around) with gruesome murders committed by a beautiful little boy.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The heiress was involved in a terrible car accident in 1929, which left her with life-long medical issues.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
And keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, once Alisson’s backup with Liverpool, has improved after a terrible start.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
-
There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
However, the final moments of season 5 also saw the shocking death of Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) — or a convincing doppelgänger — outside the Arconia, teasing the mystery Mabel, Charles and Oliver.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
-
But the real draw here is Cut's elaborate torture device, which uses piano wire in inventive and shocking ways.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The tragedy in question is no secret — Chris and Jenny are killed together in a horrific car accident, which inspires all sorts of awful questions — and the fallout is mostly predictable.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
-
But talk about some awful timing, my word.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share