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 Proto-West Germanic *agisiþu (“horror, terror”), from Proto-West Germanic *agisōn (“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

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhɪd.iː.ʌs/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈhɪd.i.əs/
Audio (US) (file)

Adjective

hideous (comparative more hideous, superlative most hideous)

Extremely or shockingly ugly.
- 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, OCLC 1069526323:
  the Duke's army departed unmolested : but the highway along which he retired presented a piteous and hideous spectacle.
Having a very unpleasant or frightening sound
- 1719 April 25, [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719, OCLC 838630407:
  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.
Hateful; shocking.
- c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or VVhat You VVill”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene v]:
  Sure, you have some hideous matter to deliver.
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.

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

hideosity
hideously
hideousness

Collocations

with nouns

hideous monster
hideous creature
hideous man
hideous woman
hideous face
hideous thing
hideous crime
hideous form
hideous death
hideous aspect
hideous spectacle
hideous picture
hideous roar
hideous sound
hideous manner
hideous way
hideous disease
hideous mistake
hideous shape
hideous dress
hideous fact
hideous act
hideous smile

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)
Hungarian: förtelmes (hu)
Icelandic: hræðilegur (is)
Irish: in anchruth
Italian: orribile (it), orrendo (it) m
Japanese: please add this translation if you can
Macedonian: стра́шен (strášen), у́жасен (úžasen), о́двратен (ódvraten)
Maori: weriweri
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 (es), horrendo, espantoso (es)
Swedish: gräslig (sv), anskrämlig (sv)
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)
Italian: please add this translation if you can
Japanese: please add this translation if you can
Macedonian: стра́шен (strášen), у́жасен (úžasen), о́двратен (ódvraten)
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)
Irish: fuafar
Italian: odioso (it) m, detestabile (it)
Japanese: please add this translation if you can
Latin: taeter
Macedonian: стра́шен (strášen), у́жасен (úžasen), о́двратен (ódvraten)
Norwegian: uhyrlig
Portuguese: horrendo (pt), hediondo (pt)
Russian: стра́шный (ru) (strášnyj), ужа́сный (ru) (užásnyj), отврати́тельный (ru) (otvratítelʹnyj)
Spanish: odioso (es), chocante
Swedish: avskyvärd (sv)
Turkish: dehşetengiz (tr)
West Frisian: ferskriklik

Middle English

Adjective

hideous

Alternative form of hidous (“terrifying”)