absolutely atrocious

USAGE SUMMARY

Absolutely atrocious is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to describe something that is extremely bad or unacceptable. For example: "The conditions of the nursing home were absolutely atrocious; some patients weren't even given clean sheets."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

23 human-written examples

Absolutely atrocious.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

It's absolutely atrocious.

The Guardian - Sport

"That's just absolutely atrocious in my mind.

The New York Times

"EU meetings are absolutely atrocious now," groans a senior French official.

The Economist

"It's absolutely atrocious," says Hannah Webb of the UCL Students Unionn.

The Guardian - Arts

A senior French official declares that EU meetings are now "absolutely atrocious", because there are too many participants.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

34 human-written examples

"You're a laughing stock," Kills said after Irvine's performance of Michael Buble's "Cry Me A River". "I personally found it absolutely artistically atrocious.

Independent

Asking your friends and family to donate literally thousands of dollars for the dress you're going to wear for one night is absolutely, positively atrocious.

Huffington Post

"There is absolutely nothing on the atrocious massacres of this war, or the American incendiary bombing campaigns".

The New York Times

After the 2005 attacks, she said, "I totally condemn and am horrified by the atrocities which occurred in London," and praised Mr. Lindsay as "a good and loving husband and a brilliant father who showed absolutely no sign of doing this atrocious crime".

The New York Times

"He was a good and loving husband and a brilliant father, who showed absolutely no sign of doing this atrocious crime," they said in a statement.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "absolutely atrocious", consider your audience and the context. While widely understood, its intensity might be too strong for some formal settings; in those cases, a milder expression might be preferable.

Common error

Avoid using "absolutely atrocious" in highly formal or professional writing where a more nuanced or objective tone is expected. Opt for phrases like "highly unsatisfactory" or "critically flawed" to maintain professionalism.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "absolutely atrocious" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun to express a strong negative evaluation. It intensifies the meaning of "atrocious," indicating something is exceptionally bad, as Ludwig AI confirms.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

76%

Formal & Business

8%

Science

4%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "absolutely atrocious" is a grammatically sound and commonly used adjectival phrase that conveys strong disapproval. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage. It's most frequently found in news and media contexts. While potent, it should be used judiciously in highly formal settings, where alternatives such as "highly unsatisfactory" might be more appropriate. The phrase's effectiveness lies in its ability to emphasize the extreme nature of something being criticized. Always consider your audience when opting for this strong expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

absolutely terrible

Substitutes "atrocious" with "terrible" while keeping the intensifier "absolutely".

utterly dreadful

Replaces "atrocious" with "dreadful" and "absolutely" with "utterly", intensifying the negative feeling.

downright appalling

Uses "downright" and "appalling" to express strong disapproval.

completely unacceptable

Shifts from describing the quality to stating its unacceptability.

thoroughly awful

Uses "thoroughly" and "awful" to express a strong negative sentiment.

unforgivably bad

Emphasizes the severity and lack of excuse for the poor quality.

exceptionally poor

Focuses on the extreme lack of quality or standard.

remarkably substandard

Highlights the failure to meet required standards in a notable way.

simply the worst

Uses a simple structure to convey the idea of something being the absolute worst.

wholly inadequate

Indicates a complete lack of sufficiency or suitability.

FAQs

How can I use "absolutely atrocious" in a sentence?

You can use "absolutely atrocious" to describe something extremely bad or unacceptable. For example, "The living conditions in that apartment were "absolutely atrocious"."

What are some alternatives to saying "absolutely atrocious"?

Alternatives include phrases like "utterly dreadful", "completely unacceptable", or "thoroughly awful" depending on the context.

Is "absolutely atrocious" appropriate for formal writing?

While grammatically correct, "absolutely atrocious" might be too strong for some formal contexts. Consider using more moderate alternatives like "highly unsatisfactory" or "critically flawed".

What makes "absolutely atrocious" a strong phrase?

The phrase combines "atrocious", which already indicates something terrible, with "absolutely", an intensifier that emphasizes the extreme nature of the bad quality.