1
as in ugly
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
the hideous way in which she treated her maid after she discovered her ring was missing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a hideous crime that could not be fully described in the newspapers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in grotesque
unpleasant to look at
wearing a hideous Halloween mask that made the kids all jump with fright
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hideous
At dinnertime, the restaurant is busy, but not slammed; the crowd seems to be largely made up of people with beautiful hair and compellingly hideous shoes.
—
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2025
Within the span of a few days, an innocuous speck can turn a loaf of bread from prime sandwich material into a hideous mass of blue-green fuzz—an appetite-killing sight if ever there was one.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 1 May 2025
The Imperial City Sewers you’re meant to traverse while learning the basics of the game look hideous and vile.
—Jamal Michel, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
In each of these films, cruelty commingles with tenderness, and hideous acts take place against backdrops of often stunning natural beauty.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hideous
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2025
Within the span of a few days, an innocuous speck can turn a loaf of bread from prime sandwich material into a hideous mass of blue-green fuzz—an appetite-killing sight if ever there was one.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 1 May 2025
The Imperial City Sewers you’re meant to traverse while learning the basics of the game look hideous and vile.
—Jamal Michel, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
In each of these films, cruelty commingles with tenderness, and hideous acts take place against backdrops of often stunning natural beauty.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hideous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hideous
Adjective
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The birds' droppings end up on the ground and windows below, creating an ugly scene for staff, branch patrons and passersby walking in the River Market District.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
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Compare the first half of Season 15 to Jodie Whittaker’s last outing as the Doctor, and things get uglier.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Then, on November 25, 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office received a gruesome package in the mail.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
27 May 2025
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The gruesome recovery comes in the wake of a gruesome February incident, when a body was found inside a suitcase floating in the East River.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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However sincere and dedicated Bianca Cline’s efforts are, there’s something grotesque about hiring a second cinematographer to attempt to reproduce Hutchins’s style, and something perverse about digitally pasting an actor’s face on another’s in order to maintain continuity.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
20 May 2025
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It’s stylized, grotesque — and apparently, mother-repellent.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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But unfortunately, that also means Big Mouth, the cartoon about all the disgusting, messy parts of growing up from Nick Kroll, must also conclude as well.—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
19 May 2025
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Victorian Ladies at Lunch In a beautiful regency-era setting, four women eat disgusting foods.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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The war has carried a horrific toll for Gazans, with many dead amid the fighting and whole neighborhoods razed to the ground.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Instead of just ending on that horrific moment, the show then cuts to Abby several days earlier.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
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His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Adjective
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The downsides are that DEET smells awful, is oily, and can damage anything with plastic in it, like synthetic clothing and camping gear.—
Kristin Canning,
Wired News,
21 May 2025
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The name itself isn’t awful, but actions have consequences.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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There’s no doubt that Lewis, abandoned as a baby by his parents, has done some horrible stuff.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2025
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Given the horrible economic incentives that government regulation has created, the surprise is not that some patients experience mistreatment.—
John C. Goodman,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hideous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hideous. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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