Horrific

/hɒˈrɪfɪk/

adjectivemediumCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Causing or likely to cause extreme horror.

/hɒˈrɪfɪk/

adjectivenegativemedium
General

Causing or likely to cause horror; extremely unpleasant or shocking.

The film contained horrific scenes of violence.

💡 Simply: Imagine something so scary or awful that it makes you want to scream! Like a monster under your bed or a really bad accident. That's horrific!

👶 For kids: When something is super scary or makes you feel really bad, it's horrific!

More Examples

2

She described the accident in horrific detail.

3

The conditions in the refugee camp were horrific.

4

The experience left him with horrific memories.

How It's Used

General usage

"The news report described the horrific details of the crime."

Journalism

"The pictures provided a horrific account of the aftermath of the disaster."

Literature

"The author depicted a horrific scene in the novel."

Idioms & expressions

horrific experience

An experience that is extremely unpleasant or shocking.

"The survivors described the horrific experience of the earthquake."

a horrific sight

Something that is extremely unpleasant or shocking to look at.

"The aftermath of the fire was a horrific sight."

From Latin *horrificus* 'causing terror,' from *horrere* 'to shudder at'.

Used since the 17th century, initially referring to causing fear. Its usage has evolved to cover a broader range of extremely unpleasant experiences.

Memory tip

Think of a horrifying film you saw. It's horrific!

Word Origin

Root: *horror*

horrifchorrificchoriffic

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written