Literary notes about Horrendous (AI summary)
The term "horrendous" in literature is often deployed to evoke a palpable sense of dread and unease, whether by describing an eerie, almost sculptural figure on a dilapidated roof [1] or by characterizing organic distortions that unsettle the reader [2]. It functions as a powerful adjective that elevates both physical descriptions and emotional atmospheres—from the disconcerting clamor of nature or war [3][4] to the shocking gravity of human actions and disastrous campaigns [5][6]. In this way, the word intensifies not only the imagery but also the stakes of the narrative, leaving an indelible mark on the reader's imagination [7][8].
- [10] Like some horrendous, watchful gargoyle, the Nipe crouched motionlessly on the shadowed roof of the low building.
— from Anything You Can Do ... by Randall Garrett - Or, rather, each horrendous brain had a few partially material appendages and appurtenances recognizable as bodily organs.
— from Masters of Space by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith - And if the violence of the war had worsened on dry land, it was even more horrendous at sea.
— from The Black Galley by Wilhelm Raabe - Her scream was answered and smothered by the horrendous roar of the thunder, and the piercing hiss of the rain that fell in sheets.
— from One Martian Afternoon by Tom Leahy - The horrendous act of Jacob Miller, therefore, created a sensation.
— from Anderson Crow, Detective by George Barr McCutcheon - It was the most horrendous campaign, for sheer concentration, that had ever battered at the public mind.
— from And All the Earth a Grave by C. C. MacApp - But a man alone, or at any rate a member of the human race alone, could compass an effect so horrendous.
— from Dariel: A Romance of Surrey by R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore - As he shook he gave tone, emitting a most horrendous yell of pain and rage.
— from Buff: A Collie, and Other Dog-Stories by Albert Payson Terhune
