Horror

Pronunciation

• GenAm IPA: /ˈhɔɹ.Éš/, IPA: /ˈhoÉš/
• New York, Philadelphia IPA: /ˈhɑɹ.Éš/
• Rhymes: -ɒɹə(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ)
• Homophones: whore some American accents

Alternative forms

• horrour UK, hypercorrect spelling or archaic

Origin

From Old French horror, from Latin horror ("a bristling, a shaking, trembling as with cold or fear, terror"), from horrere ("to bristle, shake, be terrified").

Full definition of horror

Noun

1. An intense painful emotion of fear or repugnance.
2. An intense dislike or aversion; an abhorrence.
• 1905, w, w:The Case of Miss Elliott Chapter 1, “Mrs. Yule's chagrin and horror at what she called her son's base ingratitude knew no bounds ; at first it was even thought that she would never get over it. …”
3. A literary genre, generally of a gothic character.
4. (informal) An intense anxiety or a nervous depression; this sense can also be spoken or written as the horrors.

Derived terms

• horror movie
• psychological horror
• survival horror

Related terms

• horrible
• horrid
• horrific
• horrifical
• horrification
• horrify
• horrendous

Synonyms

• nightmare