horrible, horrid, horrendous

I am not clear about the definitions from Cambridge Advanced Learners' Dictionary about horrible, horrid, horrendous as the following.

Could someone please elucidate them? Thank you!

horrid

old-fashioned informal
unpleasant or unkind; nasty

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Definition of horrid adjective from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus

horrible

very unpleasant or bad

very shocking and frightening

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Definition of horrible adjective from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus

horrendous

extremely unpleasant or bad

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Definition of horrendous adjective from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus

As the dictionary says, 'horrid' is old-fashioned.
'horrendous' is more unpleasant/bad/shocking than 'horrible'

fivejedjon said:

As the dictionary says, 'horrid' is old-fashioned.
'horrendous' is more unpleasant/bad/shocking than 'horrible'

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I suspect I also may use another "rule of thumb" for distinguishing between these related words, and I'm curious what you think. I believe I use "horrid" for more specific situations, "horrible" for more immediate situations, and "horrendous" for more wide-spread situations: "a horrid child," "a horrible thought," or "a horrendous hurricane." (BTW, "horrid" is more common in AmE than in BrE, apparently. Not only do I hear it in everyday, informal speech, the 2007 American Heritage College Dictionary makes no mention of it's being old-fashioned). ;-)

MiaCulpa said:

I believe I use "horrid" for more specific situations, "horrible" for more immediate situations, and "horrendous" for more wide-spread situations: "a horrid child," "a horrible thought," or "a horrendous hurricane." (BTW, "horrid" is more common in AmE than in BrE, apparently. Not only do I hear it in everyday, informal speech, the 2007 American Heritage College Dictionary makes no mention of its being old-fashioned). ;-)

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I can't speak for AmE, but 'horrid' certainly appears to be old-fashioned in BrE. As regards your 'immediate/wide-spread' idea for 'horrible/horrendous, there may be something in it. It's not too different from my suggestion that 'horrendous is more unpleasant/bad shocking'. More wide-spread situations tend to be bigger in effect than smaller ones.

To me a horrid child would be an ill-mannered or impolite child, while a horrible child would be worse.

I was surprised to see it given as old-fashioned, but then time passes, age withers....

Tdol said:

but then time passes, age withers....

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Don't make personal comments! ;-)

I suppose that makes me a horrid old man. ;-)