Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary

I.dark, gloomy, frowning, horrible, hideous, frightful, dreadful; and trop., savage, cruel, fierce, atrocious, harsh, severe, unyielding (of persons and things; while saevus is used only of persons; v. Doed. as cited supra; very freq. and class.): exta, Naev. ap. Non. p. 76, 6: (fortunam) insanam esse aiunt, quia atrox, incerta, instabilisque sit, Pac. ap. Auct. ad Her. 2, 23 (Trag. Rel. p. 125 Rib.): “sic Multi, animus quorum atroci vinctus malitiā est, Att., Trag. Rel. p. 141 Rib.: re atroci percitus,” Ter. Hec. 3, 3, 17: “res tam scelesta, tam atrox, tam nefaria credi non potest,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 22, 62: “saevissimi domini atrocissima effigies,” Plin. Pan. 52 fin.: “Agrippina semper atrox,” always gloomy, Tac. A. 4, 52; 2, 57: “filia longo dolore atrox,” wild, id. ib. 16, 10: “hiems,” severe, Plin. 18, 35, 80, § 353: “nox,” Tac. A. 4, 50: “tempestas,” id. ib. 11, 31: “flagrantis hora Caniculae,” Hor. C. 3, 13, 9: “atrocissimae litterae,” Cic. Fam. 9, 25, 3: “bellum magnum et atrox,” Sall. J. 5, 1: “facinus,” Liv. 1, 26: “non alia ante pugna atrocior,” id. 1, 27: “periculum atrox,” dreadful, id. 33, 5; so, “negotium,” Sall. C. 29, 2: “imperium (Manlii),” harsh, Liv. 8, 7: “odium,” violent, Ov. M. 9, 275 et saep.—Of discourse, violent, bitter: “tunc admiscere huic generi orationis vehementi atque atroci genus illud alterum ... lenitatis et mansuetudinis,” Cic. de Or. 2, 49, 200: “Summa concitandi adfectūs accusatori in hoc est, ut id, quod objecit, aut quam atrocissimum aut etiam quam maxime miserabile esse videatur,” Quint. 6, 1, 15: “peroratio,” Plin. 27, 2, 2, § 4: “et cuncta terrarum subacta Praeter atrocem animum Catonis,” stern, unyielding, Hor. C. 2, 1, 24: “fides (Reguli),” Sil. 6, 378; so, “virtus,” id. 13, 369: “ut verba atroci (i. e. rigido) stilo effoderent,” Petr. 4, 3.—Hence of that which is fixed, certain, invincible: “occisa est haec res, nisi reperio atrocem mi aliquam astutiam,” Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 7 Lind. (perh. the figure is here drawn from the contest; the atrox pugna and atrox astutia are ludicrously contrasted with occidit res, the cause had been lost, if I had not come to the rescue with powerful art).—Adv.: atrōcĭter , violently, fiercely, cruelly, harshly (only in prose): “atrociter minitari,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 62: “fit aliquid,” id. Rosc. Am. 53 fin.: “dicere,” id. Or. 17, 56: “agitare rem publicam,” Sall. J. 37, 1: “invehi in aliquem,” Liv. 3, 9: “deferre crimen,” Tac. A. 13, 19 fin.: “multa facere,” Suet. Tib. 59 al. —Comp.: atrocius in aliquem saevire, Liv. 42, 8; Tac. H. 1, 2; 2, 56: “atrocius accipere labores itinerum,” reluctantly, id. ib. 1, 23.— Sup.: “de ambitu atrocissime agere in senatu,” Cic. ad Q. Fr. 2, 16: “leges atrocissime exercere,” Suet. Tib. 58.