- extremely cruel or wicked; ruthless: atrocious deeds
- horrifying or shocking
- informal very bad; detestable: atrocious writing
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
a•tro•cious /əˈtroʊʃəs/USA pronunciation
adj.
a•tro•cious•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- terribly wicked, cruel, or brutal:an atrocious crime.
- very bad or tasteless;
abominable;
appalling: atrocious table manners.
a•tro•cious•ness, n. [uncountable]
a•tro•cious
(ə trō′shəs),USA pronunciation adj.
a•tro′cious•ly, adv.
a•tro′cious•ness, n.
- extremely or shockingly wicked, cruel, or brutal:an atrocious crime.
- shockingly bad or tasteless;
dreadful;
abominable:an atrocious painting; atrocious manners.
- atroci(ty) + -ous 1660–70
a•tro′cious•ness, n.
- 1. . felonious, heinous, monstrous, diabolical, devilish. 2. . execrable; detestable.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
atrocious /əˈtrəʊʃəs/ adj
'atrocious' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):