Extremely unpleasant, disgusting, or terrifying; awful and terrible.
From Latin 'horridus' meaning bristling or standing on end (describing hair standing up in fear). The word evolved to mean anything that causes the hair-raising sensation of horror or disgust.
The word 'horrid' comes from the same root as 'horror'—both describe the physiological response where your hair literally stands on end when frightened, a response we inherited from animals puffing themselves up to look bigger to predators.
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