(adjective) : ātrox, ōcis, from ater, as ferox from ferus, velox from velum. Atrocem hoc est asperum, crudelem, quod qui atro vultu sunt, asperitatem ac saevitiam prae se ferunt, Perott.; cf. Doed. Syn. I. p. 38 sq.
* 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.

s. TLL