horrific vs outrageous what difference
what is difference between horrific and outrageous
English
Alternative forms
- horrifick (obsolete)
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin horrificus, from horreō (“to be afraid”) + -ficō (“to make”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /həˈɹɪfɪk/, /hɔˈɹɪfɪk/, /hɑˈɹɪfɪk/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /həˈɹɪfɪk/, /hɒˈɹɪfɪk/
- (General New Zealand) IPA(key): /hɘˈɹɘfɘk/, /hɔˈɹɘfɘk/
- Rhymes: -ɪfɪk
Adjective
horrific (comparative more horrific, superlative most horrific)
- Horrifying, causing horror; horrible.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:frightening
Usage notes
- Like many terms that start with a non-silent h but have emphasis on their second syllable, some people precede horrific with an, others with a.
Related terms
- horrible
- horrifical
- horrification
- horrify
- horror
- horrendous
Translations
English
Alternative forms
- outragious (archaic)
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman outrageus, Middle French outrageus, from outrage; equivalent to outrage + -ous.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /aʊtˈɹeɪdʒəs/
- Rhymes: -eɪdʒəs
Adjective
outrageous (comparative more outrageous, superlative most outrageous)
- Violating morality or decency; provoking indignation or affront. [from 14th c.]
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, First Folio 1623:
- To be, or not to be, that is the Question: / Whether ’tis Nobler in the minde to suffer / The Slings and Arrowes of outragious Fortune, / Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them […].
- 2011, Paul Wilson, The Guardian, 19 Oct 2011:
- The Irish-French rugby union whistler Alain Rolland was roundly condemned for his outrageous decision that lifting a player into the air then turning him over so he falls on his head or neck amounted to dangerous play.
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, First Folio 1623:
- Transgressing reasonable limits; extravagant, immoderate. [from 14th c.]
- 2004, David Smith, The Observer, 19 Dec 2004:
- Audience members praised McKellen, best known for Shakespearean roles and as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, for his show-stealing turn as Twankey in a series of outrageous glitzy dresses.
- 2004, David Smith, The Observer, 19 Dec 2004:
- Shocking; exceeding conventional behaviour; provocative. [from 18th c.]
- 2001, Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 8 Dec 2001:
- “It’s something I really am quite nervous about,” he admits, before adding, with relish: “You have to be a bit outrageous and challenging sometimes.”
- 2001, Imogen Tilden, The Guardian, 8 Dec 2001:
- (now rare) Fierce, violent. [from 14th c.]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
- For els my feeble vessell, crazd and crackt / Through thy strong buffets and outrageous blowes, / Cannot endure, but needes it must be wrackt […].
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
Derived terms
- outrageously
- outrageousness
Related terms
- outrage
Translations
Further reading
- outrageous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- outrageous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
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