adjective
horrendous
huh-REN-dus/həˈrendəs/
Extremely bad or frightening.
The woman surveys horrendous flood damage in her kitchen with shocked dismay.
Etymology
The shuddering root and gerundive ending give the literal idea “to be shuddered at.” This makes extreme badness or unpleasantness something described as provoking a physical reaction of dread.
In context
that actually that's then been produced by people who are in enslaved conditions that are underpaid and not allowed to leave the factory for months at a time you know horrendous human rights violations occur
More examples
- A horrendous smell comes from the overflowing trash can.
- The storm causes horrendous damage along the coast.
- She wakes from a horrendous nightmare, shaking with fear.
Forms
horrendous
horrendously adverb — In an extremely bad or frightening way.
Similar words
- terrible
- A broader term for something very bad or distressing.
- appalling
- Emphasizes shock or disgust rather than fear or difficulty.
- dreadful
- Often emphasizes fear or anticipation of something very unpleasant.