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Definition of horror in English:

horror

Pronunciation /ˈhôrər/ /ˈhɔrər/

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noun

1An intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.
‘children screamed in horror’
- ‘But Toby doesn't react with horror or disgust or shock, instead complaining that Bree lied to him.’
- ‘Shock, horror, disgust impinge on our sense of ourselves, creating a sense of crisis as our sense of completeness and comfort is threatened.’
- ‘Judy gasped in shock and horror, paralyzed with disgust and unbridled rage as Sarah stormed out of the room.’
- ‘Emotions such as fear, horror, disgust, etc. are not intrinsically unpleasant.’
- ‘Individuals can respond to these experiences with intense fear, horror or a sense of helplessness.’
- ‘I have to admit that much of the intense fear and horror I was experiencing has now passed.’
- ‘Consumers have reacted with shock and horror over reports that frozen chickens sold in supermarkets are often fed on ground up chicken parts mixed in with grain.’
- ‘But she wasn't screaming in horror or fear, but with easily recognizable rage.’
- ‘Shocked, I reeled away in horror, fearing that some passing stranger might take me for a rubber fetishist, a thought that appals and revolts me.’
- ‘I don't care if they made you laugh, cry, scream in shock or from horror, just tell me what they are!’
- ‘Traumatic events have in common the ability to elicit intense and immediate fear, helplessness, horror and distress.’
- ‘There were feelings of horror, repulsion and fear being expressed.’
- ‘I felt fear, horror, hatred but it was all mixed up into one feeling.’
- ‘We see the human face every day, and though it affects us in many ways, fear and horror would not normally be among those emotions.’
- ‘The fear and horror in their eyes was very evident in the video, if it is a hoax then they certainly have a promising future in Hollywood.’
- ‘The new year began as the last one ended, in fear, horror and bloodshed.’
- ‘However, I note with fear and horror that somebody is trying to suppress the truth on the only website brave enough to tell it how it is.’
- ‘We have experienced so much horror, pain and fear since then that it seems like a lifetime ago.’
- ‘A number of us watched - more in shock or surprise than horror.’
- ‘When people do dare broach the subject they talk of it with a wide range of emotions - horror, disgust, anger, bitterness, resentment.’
terror, fear, fear and trembling, fearfulness, fright, alarm, panic, dread, trepidation
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1. 1.1A thing causing a feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.
  ‘photographs showed the horror of the tragedy’
  ‘the horrors of civil war’
  ‘But there was another horror, one as difficult to believe.’
  ‘Or come back later for some thoughts on how to effectively counter that horror.’
  ‘Name your disaster, horror or tragedy, no matter how grotesque, and there will be someone making a joke of it somewhere.’
  ‘This is maybe how the world avoids a horror of the kind it has never seen.’
  ‘At worst, it can be highly offensive; a horror of sexist trappings and misguided tensions.’
  ‘We know the names of the countries, we hear the names of the leaders every day in the news, we discuss the politics, the horrors and the terrors.’
  ‘And our government are prepared to send those who have fled from this terror back into these horrors?’
  ‘The purpose of such action is to force average people to their knees and hold them hostage to the horrors of terrorism.’
  ‘There has been some talk of strategies, but one of the horrors of terrorism is that there are no tactics.’
  ‘Clippings from films and documentaries showing the horrors of war and terrorism are interspersed throughout.’
  ‘But here, the main issue is civilian incomprehension of the horrors of war, as a shell-shocked young hero returns home only to greet news of his DSO with disgust.’
  ‘The horrors of the terrorism could not be rationalized.’
  ‘Because its scope, scale, and horrors seem incomprehensible to us now, World War II continues to fascinate us.’
  ‘Then there are the great unknowns such as the horrors being planned by terrorists and others who thrive on chaos and destruction.’
  ‘Isn't it time we looked closer to earth for effective solutions to terrorism's horrors?’
  ‘No wonder he remained to be a stranger to everyone else for no one dared or risked taking a step into such a place filled with horrors and terrors that only the Shadow Assailant knew of.’
  ‘The characters all speak in melodramatic, incomplete sentences as if they knew unspeakable horrors, but this tactic merely delays revelations that turn out to be quite dull.’
  ‘Wilson's idealism and incompetence unleashed or hastened many of the horrors of the 20th century, abroad and at home.’
  ‘Napoleon, Chris says, has been criticised for sleepwalking his way through the horrors of the retreat, unaware of the sufferings of his soldiers.’
  ‘One could live and work in the capital and be practically oblivious to the horrors of the war and daily terror that many Colombian women face and shared with me.’
  ‘He added that the struggle between good and evil was still being waged today, highlighting the horrors of the past century, including terrorism.’
  awfulness, frightfulness, cruelty, savagery, gruesomeness, ghastliness, hideousness
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2. 1.2A literary or film genre concerned with arousing feelings of horror.
  as modifier ‘a horror movie’
  ‘This is also one reason why I remain so steadfastly resolute about concentrating on fantasy, science fiction and horror film.’
  ‘The work was a breakthrough, spawning the birth of two literary genres: science-fiction and horror fiction.’
  ‘The science fiction and horror genres have often served as mirrors of the troubles and fears of the time.’
  ‘To me it was a great genre show that made horror and science fiction funny, smart, and eminently entertaining.’
  ‘The Curse of Frankenstein was also the first horror film to feature Cushing and Christopher Lee together.’
  ‘Unlike many horror films, this story is given time to breathe and develop.’
  ‘Cheap laughs were hard to come by, and the crashing economy seemed to be turning all Hong Kong films into horror movies.’
  ‘I'd like to see sex comedies with sex, horror films without irony and political dramas that really appreciate where we are these days.’
  ‘He has composed for a variety of genres but science fiction, horror and fantasy stories dominate his filmography.’
  ‘Let's hope not, as it has the potential to be a wonderful mixture of film noir and horror.’
  ‘Mann proved himself adept crossing genres from comedies such as Our Man Flint to horror films like Willard.’
  ‘After Frankenstein, the gentle, soft-spoken Karloff would star in horror films, and precious little else.’
  ‘Fantasy, science fiction, and horror filmmakers have been widely influenced by the Quatermass stories.’
  ‘However, I'm encouraged by the emergence of a new genre of quieter, less gory horror films in the early years of the new century.’
  ‘On more than one occasion in the past, a low budget horror film has had a lasting influence on the genre's future.’
  ‘Marty was one of the lucky few to portray both a ghoul and a biker in that legendary horror film.’
  ‘Don't Look Now is a beautifully restrained horror film.’
  ‘He admits to thriving on a variety of projects that have covered several genres including period dramas, horror, comedy and science fiction.’
  ‘In contemporary popular cinema, it is virtually impossible to cleanly demarcate the genres of horror and thriller.’
  ‘Their light-hearted take on horror belies the genuine fear Reinblatt felt wrestling with the writing of the play.’
3. 1.3Intense dismay.
  ‘to her horror she found that a thief had stolen the machine’
  ‘Imagine my horror and dismay when upon arriving at home and inserting batteries into it, it refused to work!’
  ‘Both Harold and Vita viewed the rise of socialism with horror and dismay.’
  ‘Schröder's announcement of an early election unleashed a wave of horror, dismay and rebellion in the ranks of the Greens.’
  ‘To my dismay and horror, he ripped the sweater apart in order to better access to my chest.’
  ‘Much to my horror and chagrin, I had neglected to follow this instruction, and before long found myself with a radio in my hotel room.’
  ‘To his consternation, then horror, he discovers he can't remember his name.’
  ‘To my shock and horror I may have to actually act on that as I've found a college in easy walking distance is actually offering classes which I can easily afford and they'll be on my day off as well.’
  ‘Given their strong showing in the early rounds of the Celtic League, there is shock and horror in the valleys at the performances of the Welsh sides in the Heineken Cup.’
  ‘It was with shock and horror that I opened the newspaper a few weeks ago, to learn that polyphonic ringtones are now outselling pop singles by a significant margin.’
  ‘We don't need the actresses of this world to tell us that beauty is only skin-deep or that, shock, horror, the ageing process is irreversible.’
  ‘Much to everyone's surprise, his government then - shock, horror - actually did what it said it was going to.’
  ‘Apparently - shock, horror - Britain isn't actually that baby-friendly.’
  ‘The revelation, which is bound to damage relations between Britain and Australia, was greeted with widespread shock and horror yesterday.’
  ‘Obviously I am not speechless like Frank but it is very difficult to voice my indignation and horror that this should be allowed.’
  ‘After graduating, he decides to become a complete conformist in order to deflect any future criticism, much to the horror of his artsy parents.’
  dismay, consternation, perturbation, alarm, distress
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4. 1.4horrorshumorous as exclamation Used to express dismay.
  ‘horrors, two buttons were missing!’
  ‘That would be a little like a Survivor Magazine Show - horrors!’
  ‘Having shown their own disregard for Parliamentary convention they then affect outrage when the original sponsor got understandably irate and - oh horrors!’
  ‘Their nasty-yet-comic raison d' être: better being a wandering gigolo than having to go off and get real jobs or - horrors!’
  ‘An awful lot of great student bloggers are going to - horrors!’
  ‘Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays a straight dude who inadvertently gets booked on a gay cruise ship - horrors!’
  ‘But after a solid 10 days of growth, my chin was on the verge of breaking into - horrors!’
  ‘Might Jordan and Delia's compatibility be based on - horrors!’
5. 1.5in singular Intense dislike.
  ‘many have a horror of consulting a dictionary’
  ‘I've trained myself to it in recent years, having a horror of the way some older citizens sink into a smelly, grubby state as they age, and being determined to avoid falling into the same trap.’
  ‘Newman had a horror of ‘picture-making,’ almost a wish to transcend his medium.’
  ‘They were the work of a determined minority of clergy and liturgists who had a horror of anything smacking of the transcendent.’
  ‘But Shakespeare did have a horror of social breakdown.’
  ‘I have a horror of finding myself trapped, which usually asserts itself as an almost visceral desire to leave meetings early.’
  ‘The crime writer had a horror of the press, and she would always attempt to travel incognito, choosing places where she was unlikely to be recognised.’
  ‘Despite being constantly pursued by tallymen, clothing-club collectors and the like, our parents had a horror of real debt.’
  ‘In France, in Germany, even in Britain, the polls show a horror of war - especially if not authorised by the UN.’
  ‘Hampshire had a horror of the moral certainties of Left and Right from his time in British intelligence during the Second World War.’
  ‘We discovered that we all had a horror of wasting food, and would finish a dish rather than throw it in the bin.’
  ‘Medieval people had a horror of treachery and cowardice; the two were often felt to go hand in hand.’
  ‘I always kept well away from their end of the paddock as I had a horror of a break-out.’
  ‘In part, a horror of my own past position has made me moderate and democractically-minded.’
  ‘Paterson, a musician and a poet, confesses to a horror of poems set to music.’
  ‘This goes beyond making small talk with strangers, although I have a horror of that.’
  ‘I really don't like this method since I have a horror of one of the dummy rounds getting mixed up with my hunting ammunition.’
  ‘Ruggles also exhibits a horror of repeating himself, something Ives apparently didn't mind.’
  ‘She would make a display of hating books, which she didn't, but that would give him a horror of her, perhaps.’
  ‘Death is the last enemy, that haggard person that comes ever nearer and nearer, and we have a horror of it.’
  ‘The first generation of converts have a horror of much that is associated with their culture.’
  hate, detest, loathe, greatly dislike, have a strong aversion to, abhor, abominate, be unable to bear, be unable to stand
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6. 1.6the horrorsAn attack of extreme nervousness or anxiety.
  ‘the mere thought of it gives me the horrors’
2informal A bad or mischievous person, especially a child.
- ‘that little horror Zach was around’
- ‘As in every culture, where all other Indians in the story are proud and honourable, Emiliano happens to be a horror of almost fantastical proportions.’
- ‘He thinks Anse is a horror of a human being to throw Darl down in the public street and handcuff him and to pour concrete on Cash's leg, forever destroying it.’
rascal, devil, imp, monkey, scamp
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