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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Atrocious \A*tro"cious\, a. [L. atrox, atrocis, cruel, fierce:
cf. F. atroce.]
1. Extremely heinous; full of enormous wickedness; as,
atrocious guilt or deeds.
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2. Characterized by, or expressing, great atrocity.
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Revelations . . . so atrocious that nothing in
history approaches them. --De Quincey.
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3. Very grievous or violent; terrible; as, atrocious
distempers. [Obs.] --Cheyne.
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Syn: {Atrocious}, {Flagitious}, {Flagrant}.

Usage: Flagitious points to an act as grossly wicked and
vile; as, a flagitious proposal. Flagrant marks the
vivid impression made upon the mind by something
strikingly wrong or erroneous; as, a flagrant
misrepresentation; a flagrant violation of duty.
Atrocious represents the act as springing from a
violent and savage spirit. If Lord Chatham, instead of
saying "the atrocious crime of being a young man," had
used either of the other two words, his irony would
have lost all its point, in his celebrated reply to
Sir Robert Walpole, as reported by Dr. Johnson.
[1913 Webster] -- {A*tro"cious*ly}, adv. --
{A*tro"cious*ness}, n.
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