hideous

English

Etymology

From Middle English hidous, from Anglo-Norman hidous, from Old French hideus, hydus (“that which inspires terror”), from earlier hisdos, from Old French hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably from Frankish *egisda, *egisida (“terror, fright”), from Proto-Germanic *agisiþō (“horror, terror”), from Proto-Germanic *agisōną (“to frighten, terrorise”), from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, fear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to frighten”). Cognate with Old High German egisa, egidī (“horror”), Old English egesa (“fear, dread”), Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃 (agis, “fear, terror”).

Alternative etymology cites possible derivation from Latin hispidosus (“rugged”), from hispidus (“rough, bristly”), yet the semantic evolution is less plausible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɪd.iː.ʌs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

hideous (comparative more hideous, superlative most hideous)

1. Extremely or shockingly ugly.
   • Thomas Babington Macaulay.

   A piteous and hideous spectacle.

2. Having a very unpleasant or frightening sound
   • 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.
   • William Shakespeare

     Sure, you have some hideous matter to deliver.

4. Morally offensive; shocking; detestable.
   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 9:

     when the wind is shrieking, and the men are yelling, and every plank thunders with trampling feet right over Jonah’s head; in all this raging tumult, Jonah sleeps his hideous sleep.

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

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: противен (bg) (protiven)
• Catalan: horrible (ca), horripilant (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: afzichtelijk (nl)
• Finnish: hirveä (fi), kauhea (fi), inhottava (fi), hirvittävä (fi)
• French: hideux (fr)

  Old French: hideus

• German: scheußlich (de)
• Greek: κακάσχημος (el) (kakáschimos)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: förtelmes (hu)
• Icelandic: hræðilegur (is)
• Irish: in anchruth
• Italian: orribile (it), orrendo (it) m
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: fæl (no), stygg (no)
• Polish: ohydny (pl), obrzydliwy (pl)
• Portuguese: horrendo (pt), medonho (pt)
• Russian: стра́шный (ru) (strášnyj), ужа́сный (ru) (užásnyj), отврати́тельный (ru) (otvratítelʹnyj)
• Spanish: horrible (es), odioso (es), chocante, atemorizante, horrendo, espantoso m
• Turkish: çirkin (tr), gudubet (tr)
• West Frisian: ûnsjoch

distressing or offensive to the ear

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: akelig (nl)
• Finnish: hirveä (fi), kauhea (fi), hirvittävä (fi)
• French: strident (fr)
• German: abscheulich (de)
• Greek: απαίσιος (el) (apaísios)
• Hungarian: szörnyű (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: stygg (no)
• Portuguese: horrendo (pt), medonho (pt), estridente (pt)
• Russian: стра́шный (ru) (strášnyj), ужа́сный (ru) (užásnyj), отврати́тельный (ru) (otvratítelʹnyj)
• Spanish: discordante, ruidoso (es), estridente (es)
• Turkish: cırtlak (tr)
• West Frisian: ferskrikkelik, ôfgryslik

hateful; shocking

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: afgrijselijk (nl)
• Finnish: hirveä (fi), kauhea (fi), hirvittävä (fi)
• French: atroce (fr), répugnant (fr)
• German: abscheulich (de)
• Greek: απαίσιος (el) (apaísios)
• Hungarian: undok (hu), utálatos (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: fuafar
• Italian: odioso (it) m, detestabile (it)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: taeter
• Norwegian: uhyrlig
• Portuguese: horrendo (pt), hediondo (pt)
• Russian: стра́шный (ru) (strášnyj), ужа́сный (ru) (užásnyj), отврати́тельный (ru) (otvratítelʹnyj)
• Spanish: odioso (es), chocante
• Turkish: dehşetengiz (tr)
• West Frisian: ferskriklik

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Middle English

Adjective

hideous

1. Alternative form of hidous (“terrifying”)