hideous

English

Etymology

From Middle English hidous, from Anglo-Norman hidous, from Old French hideus, hydus (“that which inspires terror”), from earlier hisdos, from hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably of Germanic origin, from Frankish *egisda, *egisida (“terror, fright”), from Proto-Germanic *agisiþō (“horror, terror”), from Proto-Germanic *agisōnan (“to frighten, terrorise”), from Proto-Germanic base *agaz (“terror, fear”), from Proto-Indo-European *ag(')h- (“to frighten”). Cognate with Old High German egisa, egidī (“horror”), Old English egesa (“fear, dread”), Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃 (agis, “fear, terror”).

Alternative etymology cites possbile derivation from Latin hispidosus (“rugged”), from hispidus (“rough, bristly”), yet the semantic evolution is more difficult to trace.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈhɪd.iː.ʌs/ SAMPA: /"hId.i:.Vs/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

hideous (comparative more hideous, superlative most hideous)

1. Frightful; shocking; extremely ugly.

   A piteous and hideous spectacle." Thomas Babington Macaulay.

2. Distressing or offensive to the ear; horrible.
   • 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

     He started up, growling at first, but finding his leg broken, fell down again; and then got upon three legs, and gave the most hideous roar that ever I heard.

3. Hateful; shocking.

   Sure, you have some hideous matter to deliver. - William Shakespeare

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "hideous" is often applied: monster, creature, man, face, thing, crime, form, death, aspect, spectacle, picture, roar, sound, manner, way, disease, mistake, shape, dress, fact, act, smile.

Synonyms

• frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, grotesque, horrid, dreadful, terrible

Derived terms

• hideosity
• hideously
• hideousness

Translations

Extremely ugly

Anglo-Norman: hidous Dutch: afzichtelijk (nl) Finnish: hirveä (fi), kauhea (fi), inhottava (fi), hirvittävä (fi) French: hideux (fr) German: scheußlich (de) Hungarian: förtelmes (hu)

Old French: hideus Russian: страшный (ru) (strášnyj), ужасный (ru) (užásnyj), отвратительный (ru) (otvratítel'nyj) Spanish: horrible (es), odioso (es), chocante (es), atemorizante (es) West Frisian: ûnsjoch (fy)

Distressing or offensive to the ear

Finnish: hirveä (fi), kauhea (fi), hirvittävä (fi) German: abscheulich (de) Hungarian: szörnyű (hu)

Russian: страшный (ru) (strášnyj), ужасный (ru) (užásnyj), отвратительный (ru) (otvratítel'nyj) Spanish: discordante (es), ruidoso (es), estridente (es)

Hateful; shocking

Finnish: hirveä (fi), kauhea (fi), hirvittävä (fi) German: abscheulich (de) Hungarian: undok (hu), utálatos (hu)

Russian: страшный (ru) (strášnyj), ужасный (ru) (užásnyj), отвратительный (ru) (otvratítel'nyj) Spanish: odioso (es), chocante (es)