horrible
/ɔ.ʁibl/
The French word for "horrible" is horrible.
horrible is used to describe something that is tremendously bad.
Meaning: tremendously bad (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form horrible remains the same in the feminine gender because it ends in an unaccented -e.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ɔ.ʁibl/ and it consists of 2 syllables.
When do people say it?
To describe something as blood-curdling, you can use the phrase C'est à glacer le sang. If you want to say "It's a real nightmare", you can say C'est un véritable cauchemar.
Did you know?
- In casual French, horrible can be used as an intensifier similar to 'terribly' or 'awfully' to mean 'very much', such as saying someone is horriblement seule ('terribly alone').
- The word horrible is a direct descendant of the Latin horribilis, which originally described the physical act of 'shaking' or 'trembling' in fear.
- Using horrible to describe a person's appearance can be particularly risky, as it may imply the person is physically repulsive rather than just wearing a bad outfit.
Examples in context
- Ça a été horrible.It was horrible.This sentence shows how to use horrible to describe a past event.Tatoeba #4542908 by sacredceltic, translation #2248845 by CK
- Ça a l'air horrible.That sounds horrible.This sentence shows how to use horrible to describe how something sounds.Tatoeba #4767892 by Doremi391, translation #1897761 by CK
- Il a l'air horrible.He looks horrible.This sentence shows how to use horrible to describe how someone looks.Tatoeba #11611189 by Amastan, translation #8379951 by Amastan
- Le film était affreux.The movie was horrible.
- L'expérience fut épouvantable.The experience was horrible.
- La météo est horrible aujourd'hui.The weather is horrible today.
- Cette chanson est nulle.This song is horrible.
- La situation est pourrie.The situation is horrible.
- C'est affreux de rester coincé dans les embouteillages.It's horrible to be stuck in traffic jams.
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are discussing a movie they just saw.
- HugoC'était un film horrible.It was a horrible movie.
- ChloéOui, l'histoire était horrible.Yes, the story was horrible.
- HugoJe déteste ce genre de scénario.I hate this kind of script.
- ChloéMoi aussi, c'était un vrai cauchemar.Me too, it was a real nightmare.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “horrible” translations and entries horrible, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries horrible, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
