Hideous is an adjectivea word that describes a noun or pronoun used for something that is very ugly, shockingcausing surprise, outrage, or strong emotional disturbance, or deeply unpleasant. It can describe a frighteningcausing fear or making someone feel afraid appearance, or something morally or emotionally shocking.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈhɪdiəs/
Easy pronunciation: HID-ee-uhs (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable.
Primary sense: extremely ugly so as to be terrifying.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Hideous Meaning
very ugly and unpleasant to look at
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: so extremely ugly as to be terrifying
Example: The old building had a hideous crack across the front wall.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- repulsive — Works well for the physical appearance sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Hideous
Meaning 2
so bad or shocking that it causes disgust or horror
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
Example: The report exposed a hideous pattern of abuse.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- horrid — Fits the sense of something cruel, disgusting, or horrible.
- horrific — Works when the thing is shocking or horrifying.
- outrageous — Fits when hideous means morally offensive or wildly unacceptable.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Hideous Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- repulsive
morally offensive, shocking, or horrifying
- horrid
- horrific
- outrageous
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Using hideous only for physical ugliness and forgetting it can also describe shocking or morally offensive things.
- Treating every synonym of ugly or bad as interchangeable with hideous.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does hideous mean?
Hideous usually means extremely ugly or very shocking and unpleasant. It can describe appearance, or it can describe something morally horrible.
What is a simple synonym for hideous?
For the appearance sense, repulsive is a close synonym. For the horror or moral sense, horrid, horrific, and outrageous can work depending on context.
Is hideous always about looks?
No. It often describes ugly appearances, but it can also describe something shocking, cruel, or deeply offensive.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-21. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
