horror
English meaning: Horror
Definition
An intense distressing emotion of fear or repugnance.
Example
“He watched the horror film from behind a cushion.”
Another example: “To her horror, she realised she had left the front door wide open.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Neutral; a noun for intense fear or disgust, and for the film/fiction genre designed to frighten ('a horror film'). Also used informally and hyperbolically ('the holiday was a horror'; 'you little horror'). Common in everyday speech, entertainment and literature.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Latin 'horror' (a shuddering, dread), from 'horrere' (to bristle, shudder); 14th century.
Related Words
- treehouse
- slasher
- frankenstein
- bram
- suspense
- dracula
- thriller
- flick
- scream
- halloween
Common Collocations
- horror film
- sheer horror
- horror story
- horror movie
- to my horror
- horror genre
Word Forms
horror (n); horrors (pl); horrible (adj); horrify (v)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
CC-licensed · free to useVideo
Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B