1
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
an atrocious crime that shocked even hardened members of the police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of atrocious
People can sneakily shape generative AI in ways that are atrocious, underhanded, and the like.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The issue, of course, is that much of that data is atrocious.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Two falling teams Tennessee stumbles The Lady Vols suffered their first loss of the season to Oklahoma, and their half-court defense was atrocious in the process.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
The acting is atrocious, and the editing is so meticulously bizarre its philosophy could only be taught in the Bermuda Triangle.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for atrocious 
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The issue, of course, is that much of that data is atrocious.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Two falling teams Tennessee stumbles The Lady Vols suffered their first loss of the season to Oklahoma, and their half-court defense was atrocious in the process.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
The acting is atrocious, and the editing is so meticulously bizarre its philosophy could only be taught in the Bermuda Triangle.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for atrocious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atrocious
Adjective
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With snipers on rooftops, military vehicles on the streets and troops and cops everywhere, Trump was scheduled to meet with families of those killed and injured in the horrific New Year’s Day attack in NOLA.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2025
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Even before the horrific Hamas slaughter of more than 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, progressive groups called the strip an outdoor prison.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile the parents had suffered years of horrible harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers.—
Rochelle Eastman,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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The aerospace business is growing at a fast clip, but the warehouse automation business within the industrial automation unit has been horrible.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The occasional injury is unavoidable in a tournament where the intensity is this high, but that doesn’t make the outcome any less brutal for Theodore and the Golden Knights. 4.—
Sean McIndoe,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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Though the claims of uniquely brutal violence are mostly anecdotal, their shocking nature has become the cornerstone of such groups' outreach to Western leaders.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Friday’s 102-86 setback in Brooklyn - marked by a gruesome fourth quarter in which Miami was outscored 31-9 – left the Heat at 25-25.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 Feb. 2025
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Osgood Perkins is back in his horror bag to bring the short story from Stephen King to the big screen, following twin brothers Bill and Hal, who find their father's old toy monkey in the attic, an event which leads to a series of gruesome deaths.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There have been plenty of terrible Oscar hosts over the years but this was a car crash that could easily have been avoided.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2025
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Secrets bob to the surface like drowning victims from the deep until nobody — not even the reader — can easily separate the terrible truth from even more terrible fictions.—
M.L. Rio,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The current government’s purposeful misrepresentation and defamation of DEI in such a comprehensively cruel and malicious manner deserves nothing less than personal and communal outrage and resistance.—
Dr. Tony Lux,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
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Immigrant advocates call those moves cruel and unnecessary.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Head coach Kevin O'Connell won Coach of the Year after the team secured a shocking 14-3 record.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
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The escalating tension of that final act is as shocking and violent and viciously cold as anything in Franco’s filmography, which has seldom shied away from stark depictions of human cruelty — whether intimate in scale, like After Lucia, or encompassing explosive societal conflict, like New Order.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Vanderbilt Profile Strengths: Competitive metrics, no bad losses, headliner wins vs. Kentucky and Tennessee. Profile Weaknesses: No key road/neutral wins, awful nonconference SOS.—
Jim Root,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
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My heart was already pounding from the awful climb, but there was a sudden thrill and exhilaration.—
Frank C. Hibben,
Outdoor Life,
13 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near atrocious
Cite this Entry
“Atrocious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atrocious. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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