Meaning
terrible; excruciating
- terrible, dreadful
- excruciating, unbearable
- atrocious, cruel
In a sentence
Ho avuto un dolore atroce tutta la notte.
I had excruciating pain all night.
Hai visto quel film atroce ieri sera?
Did you see that awful movie last night?
Ho sentito un dolore atroce alla schiena.
I felt an excruciating pain in my back.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| atroce | masculine · singular |
| atroce | feminine · singular |
| atroci | masculine · plural |
| atroci | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Stronger and more dramatic than terribile or brutto; use it for extreme pain, cruelty, or shocking situations.
- Common with physical pain: un dolore atroce. For everyday annoyance, native speakers usually choose terribile, tremendo, or pessimo instead.
- It agrees in gender and number: atroce, atroci. Don’t confuse it with English-style forms like *atrocio or *atroca.