terrible

[ ter-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. distressing; severe:

   a terrible winter.

2. extremely bad; horrible:

   terrible coffee;

   a terrible movie.

3. exciting terror, awe, or great fear; dreadful; awful.

   Synonyms: horrid, horrendous, horrible, dire, appalling, frightful, fearful

4. formidably great:

   a terrible responsibility.

terrible

/ ˈtɛrəbəl /

adjective

1. very serious or extreme

   a terrible cough

2. informal.
   of poor quality; unpleasant or bad

   a terrible play

   a terrible meal

3. causing terror
4. causing awe

   the terrible nature of God

Derived Forms

• ˈterribleness, noun

Other Words From

• terri·ble·ness noun
• un·terri·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of terrible¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin terribilis, equivalent to terr(ēre) “to frighten” + -ibilis -ible

Word History and Origins

Origin of terrible¹

C15: from Latin terribilis, from terrēre to terrify

Example Sentences

“I’m a terrible Christian — like, the worst,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

What was made clear to these women, who must walk around every day of their lives reliving the trauma they survived, is that their terrible experiences don’t matter to at least 76 million Americans.

From Salon

On the other end is “El Mal,” a driving condemnation of the terrible people — murderers, corrupt politicians — contributing to the onetime drug lord’s charity aiming to locate the remains of cartel victims.

From Los Angeles Times

“Excluding them from sports sends a terrible message that they are not worthy of being treated the same as cisgender teammates and classmates,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

He did this because there can be terrible consequences for ordinary people when a bureaucracy is not able to run efficiently.

From Salon

Related Words

• abhorrent
• appalling
• atrocious
• awesome
• awful
• dangerous
• dire
• disastrous
• disturbing
• dreadful
• frightful
• ghastly
• gruesome
• harrowing
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrid
• horrifying
• serious
• severe

More About Terrible

What does terrible mean?

Terrible is commonly used to mean extremely bad—awful, dreadful, or horrible.

It can also mean severe, as in I have a terrible case of the flu. (Of course, this sense of the word often overlaps with its meaning of “extremely bad.”)

When it’s used to describe a person, terrible often means extremely disagreeable or cruel.

Terrible is also a somewhat formal way of describing something as having great power or being worthy of awe. This sense of terrible is especially used to describe supernatural power, as in The wizard is known to wield a terrible force with his staff. 

Much less commonly, terrible can mean literally causing terror, but the related word terrifying is much more commonly used to mean this.

Example: Everyone seems to like that restaurant, but I had a terrible experience there—bad food and even worse service.

Where does terrible come from?

The first records of the word terrible come from the 1400s. It comes from the Latin terribilis, which ultimately derives from the Latin verb terrēre, meaning “to frighten” or “to terrify.” Terrēre is also the basis of terrify, terrifying, terror, and terrific. (Unlike horrific, the word terrific is almost never used to mean “terrifying” or “horrifying”—it usually means “very good” or “intense.”)

Terrible is most popularly used to simply mean “really bad,” in much the same way that horrible and awful are often used, as in I had a terrible time at that party—no one would talk to me! It’s very rarely used to mean truly horrific or terrifying. Real-life horror-like violence can be described as terrible, but you wouldn’t call a horror movie terrible to mean it was really scary—you’d probably call it terrifying. If it was really stupid and poorly made, though, then you could call it terrible. (Unless it was so bad it was good, in which case you might call it terrific!)

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to terrible?

• terribly (adverb)
• terribleness (noun)

What are some synonyms for terrible?

• horrible
• awful
• dreadful
• horrid
• horrendous

What are some words that share a root or word element with terrible? 

 

• terror
• terrific
• terrify
• terrifying

What are some words that often get used in discussing terrible?

 

• bad
• news
• day
• weather
• idea
• person
• movie
• unpleasant

How is terrible used in real life?

The word terrible is very common. It’s usually used negatively.

Today we reflect on the terrible disaster that took place 6 years ago. A disaster that took the lives of all 298 people on board flight MH17. And a disaster that forever changed the lives of their loved ones. I wish them strength on this emotional day. pic.twitter.com/ghSJLN6dmE

— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) July 17, 2020

Terrible terrible news. Just heard that John Lewis has passed away this evening. Our heroes. All our heroes. May we live lives that are worthy of what they gave to us. Rest in Power brother Lewis. You gave us all such good trouble.

— Phillip Atiba Goff (@DrPhilGoff) July 18, 2020

u ever been in the car w such a terrible driver u jus close ur eyes and accept that whatever happens happens

— ☆𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔞☆ (@lithiumd0ll) July 24, 2020

 

 

Try using terrible!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of terrible?

A. awful
B. horrible
C. lousy
D. lovely