ātrox (ă), ōcis, adj. [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. 377: 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.