Atrocious
/əˈtroʊʃəs/
adjectiveBeginnerCommonGeneral
Meaning
Questions
Definitions
1
Extremely bad or unpleasant.
/əˈtroʊʃəs/
adjectivenegativeBeginner
General
The food was atrocious.
💡 Simply: Really, really bad.
More Examples
2
He behaved in an atrocious manner.
3
The conditions were absolutely atrocious.
How It's Used
Film Criticism
"The movie's plot was atrocious."
General
"The weather was atrocious; rain and wind battered the town."
From Latin *atrox* meaning "fierce, cruel, savage," ultimately from the root *ater* meaning "black."
The word has been used since the 16th century to describe something extremely bad.
Memory tip
Think of 'atrocious' as 'atrocity-ous,' emphasizing the severity of its negativity.
Practice
Base: atrocious
atrociouslyatrosious
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written