The term "affreux" functions in literature as a versatile intensifier that can denote physical horror, emotional distress, or moral repugnance. It is often employed to amplify the grotesque or calamitous nature of a scene, whether describing an enormous mass of sea ice that is both alarming and aesthetically unpleasant [1] or a ghastly battle scene filled with the suffering of soldiers [2]. At times, it underlines personal disillusionment—the dread in facing a dreadful future or an unimaginable misfortune [3, 4]—while in other instances it serves a playful or ironic role in dialogue, as when an absurd situation is condemned with exasperated vividness [5, 6]. Even in poetic contexts, "affreux" contributes to creating a heavy, oppressive atmosphere by evoking images of dark, threatening landscapes or by critiquing societal and political ills [7, 8]. This multiplicity of uses underscores its capacity to convey not only aesthetic disgust but also a broader lamentation of life's harsher realities [9, 10].