From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhorriblehor‧ri‧ble /ˈhɒrəbəl $ ˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-/ ●●● S2 adjective 1 BADvery bad – used, for example, about things you see, taste, or smell, or about the weather The weather has been really horrible all week. a horrible smell The food looked horrible, but it tasted OK.► see thesaurus at bad2 FRIGHTENEDvery unpleasant and often frightening, worrying, or upsetting a horrible dream I have a horrible feeling that we’re going to miss the plane.3 FRIGHTENEDrude and unfriendly She’s a horrible person. What a horrible thing to say!be horrible to somebody Why are you so horrible to me?► see thesaurus at unkind —horribly adverb Her face was horribly scarred. The plan had gone horribly wrong.THESAURUStaste/smellhorrible very bad and unpleasantWhat’s that horrible smell?This fish tastes horrible.disgusting/revolting horrible, especially in a way that makes you feel slightly sickI had to take two spoons of some disgusting medicine.The stench in the room was revolting.nasty very unpleasant – often used about a taste that stays in your mouthCheap wine sometimes leaves a nasty taste in your mouth.the nasty smell of bad eggsnauseating /ˈnɔːzieɪtɪŋ, -si- $ ˈnɒːzi-, -ʃi-/ horrible and making you feel that you are going to vomit – used especially about a smellthe nauseating smell of stale beer and cigarette smokefoul /faʊl/ horrible – used especially when there is decay or wasteThere was a foul smell coming from the water.Whatever it was in that cup, it tasted foul.experience, situation, eventhorrible/terrible/awful/dreadful very bad and unpleasantFor one horrible moment, I thought I was going to fall.The refugees were living in dreadful conditions.It must have been a terrible worry for them.Thousands of people lost their jobs – it was awful.nasty very unpleasant and shocking – used especially about events where people are hurtThere’s been a nasty accident on the motorway.a nasty cutThe news came as a nasty shock.
Examples from the Corpus
horrible• This stuff tastes horrible!• You make your players look horrible.• I really don't like her at all - she's horrible!• The pain was horrible.• One is horrible and the other might be the best ever in football.• It was really horrible coming home and finding all our things had been stolen.• a horrible crime• It's very cold and horrible down here at the moment.• We told her nothing of our horrible experience.• This was a horrible, horrible place.• She got some horrible kind of stomach flu.• Danny's such a horrible little brat.• Her husband was a horrible man - lazy, and always drunk.• There was a horrible moment when she thought she had left all her files on the train.• I am absolutely sure the decision to have an abortion for social reasons is a horrible one for these women.• It's quite a horrible thing when you've worked on something so hard, but you have to go through it.• I think I'll go out if you're just going to be horrible to me.• Of course, at last a train got him and killed him in a horrible way.be horrible to somebody• It was horrible to be called boring.• It must be horrible to be driven away from all your old haunts because you might bump into your drug mates.• She ain't crying or nothing, but her face is horrible to look at.• Knowing what had happened to Mr MacQuillan, it was horrible to open a package and find a knife.• However, like most beautiful timbers it was horrible to work, being very soft and crumbly.Origin horrible (1200-1300) French Latin horribilis, from horrere; → HORROR 