French word

horrible

Pronunciation

IPA/oʁibl/

Meaning

  • adjectiveterrible

Example

C'est horrible.

It's terrible.

Illustration for horrible (terrible)

More examples

Le film était horrible.

The film was awful.

Core concept

Something so disturbing, unpleasant, or seriously bad that it provokes horror or strong rejection.

Common phrases

  • un film horrible

    an awful film

  • une expérience horrible

    an awful experience

  • une situation horrible

    an awful situation

Similar words

terrible: Expressing strong negative feelings about an extremely bad event or condition.
affreux: Extremely unpleasant or frightening in appearance or effect.
atroce: Causing unbearable pain or expressing extreme misery.
épouvantable: Causing intense fear or a spine-chilling sense of dread.

Definition in French

Qui provoque une forte répulsion, de l'horreur ou un grand déplaisir ; très mauvais ou intolérable.

Word origin

The French adjective horrible continues Latin horribilis, based on horrere, 'to shudder', and developed into its modern form through Old French.

Usage tips

  • C'est horrible can react to bad news, suffering, or an accident, while calling a person horrible sounds like strong personal condemnation.

Other meanings

  • frighteningadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word