horrible

horrible — adjective

1. extremely unpleasant, bad, or upsetting; used to describe experiences, things, s

1.形容詞B1
釋義

extremely unpleasant, bad, or upsetting; used to describe experiences, things, situations, or people that cause strong dislike or discomfort.

例句

The weather was horrible during our trip to the beach, so we stayed inside.

collocation: horrible weather

Sumin felt horrible after eating too much cake at the party.

pattern: feel + adjective for physical discomfort

同義詞
  • terrible

    Similar intensity but slightly more formal; often used for serious situations (a terrible accident, terrible news).

  • awful

    Same register and very common in everyday speech; can feel slightly weaker and less personal than horrible.

  • lousy

    More informal and slangy; best for minor complaints (a lousy meal, lousy service).

  • dreadful

    More formal and more common in British English; carries a sense of deep dismay.

反義詞
  • wonderful

    Direct opposite for experiences and things that cause great pleasure.

  • lovely

    Opposite in register about personal taste (a lovely meal vs. a horrible meal).

  • pleasant

    Neutral opposite describing agreeable experiences.

文法句型

horrible + noun

feel/look/smell/taste + horrible

so + horrible + that-clause

用法筆記

More informal and emphatic than 'bad.' Can intensify abstract nouns such as 'mess,' 'mistake,' or 'failure' ('a horrible mess'). Typically describes subjective reaction rather than objective quality.

常見錯誤

❌This soup is horrible' (when it is just a little too salty).
✅This soup is too salty for my taste.
💡'Horrible' is very strong; reserve it for genuinely unpleasant experiences, not minor complaints.
❌The weather was horrible, so we cancelled the picnic' (acceptable in speech but too vague for writing).
✅The constant rain made the picnic impossible.
💡In formal writing, a more concrete description is preferred over the emphatic adjective.

2. causing a strong feeling of shock, fear, or horror; used for events, accidents,

2.形容詞B2
釋義

causing a strong feeling of shock, fear, or horror; used for events, accidents, images, or stories that are deeply disturbing.

例句

The survivors told horrible stories about the earthquake that destroyed their town.

collocation: horrible stories

Isabela could not sleep after watching that horrible horror film.

collocation: horrible film / horror film

同義詞
  • terrifying

    Focuses specifically on causing fear, whereas horrible can also include disgust or shock.

  • horrifying

    Stronger and more direct than horrible; emphasizes the act of causing horror.

  • gruesome

    Specifically about violence, blood, or injury; narrower than horrible.

  • appalling

    More formal; emphasizes shock and dismay at something deeply wrong.

反義詞
  • comforting

    Describes something that soothes fear or worry.

  • reassuring

    Restores confidence and calm, opposite of causing fear.

  • peaceful

    Describes a calm scene free from disturbance or horror.

文法句型

horrible + noun (accident/crime/scene/dream)

be + horrible to witness/see/hear

用法筆記

Common with nouns like 'accident,' 'crime,' 'scene,' 'murder,' 'war' — the subject is typically an event or visual scene rather than a person or an object of taste. Distinguished from sense 1 by the element of fear or shock: the thing causes genuine horror, not just strong dislike or disappointment.

常見錯誤

❌The test results were horrible' (when meaning you just did poorly).
✅The crash scene was horrible, with overturned cars everywhere.
💡Sense 2 requires real fear or horror; for bad results, use sense 1 or a different word like 'disappointing.'