Horrifically means in a way that causes horror, shock, or intense disgust. When something happens horrifically, it's so terrible or disturbing that it makes people recoil or feel sick inside.

A news report might describe how a building was horrifically damaged by a tornado, meaning the destruction was shocking to see. A book review might say that a villain in a story was horrifically cruel, emphasizing just how awful their actions were. The word amplifies the severity: it describes something shockingly, disturbingly bad.

In everyday conversation, people sometimes use horrifically as exaggeration. A student might say they did horrifically on a math test when they really just got a C, or complain that their little brother behaved horrifically at dinner when he was merely being annoying.

The word comes from horrific, which relates to horror, that feeling of fear and revulsion combined. When something happens horrifically, it creates that stomach-turning sense that something is deeply, seriously wrong.