From Latin atrōx (savage, fierce, ferocious, atrocious), from āter (black, dark) — possibly combined with a root related to ōculus (eye), giving a literal sense of 'dark-eyed' or 'having a fierce look'. Via Old French atroce into English in the mid-16th century, initially in the strong moral sense. The weakened informal sense ('extremely bad in quality') developed later, particularly in British English from the 19th century onward.
What does atrocious mean?
Atrocious has two main senses. Its primary meaning is horrifyingly cruel, brutal, or morally reprehensible — as in 'atrocious crimes' or 'atrocious treatment of prisoners'. Informally, it also means extremely bad or of very poor quality: 'atrocious weather', 'atrocious handwriting', 'an atrocious performance'.
What is the difference between atrocious and terrible?
Both mean very bad, but atrocious is stronger. In the moral sense, atrocious implies genuine savagery or cruelty — terrible does not carry the same moral weight. In the informal sense, atrocious is a stronger intensifier than terrible, though both are used to express extreme dissatisfaction.
What are synonyms for atrocious?
In the moral sense: heinous, monstrous, barbaric, brutal, inhumane, abominable, savage. In the informal sense: terrible, dreadful, awful, appalling, abysmal, ghastly, dire.
Where does the word atrocious come from?
Atrocious comes from Latin atrōx (savage, fierce), from āter (black, dark), possibly combined with a root related to ōculus (eye), giving the sense of 'dark-faced' or 'having a fierce expression'. It entered English via Old French atroce in the mid-16th century.
Is atrocious formal or informal?
In its primary sense (horrifyingly cruel), atrocious is appropriate in formal and neutral contexts. In its informal sense (extremely bad), it is informal to colloquial. In formal writing, prefer 'extremely poor' or 'severely inadequate' when describing quality rather than moral horror.