terrific
Americanadjective
-
extraordinarily great or intense.
terrific speed.
- Synonyms:
- remarkable, extraordinary
-
extremely good; wonderful.
a terrific vacation.
- Synonyms:
- excellent, fine, remarkable, extraordinary
-
causing terror; terrifying.
adjective
-
very great or intense
a terrific noise
-
informal very good; excellent
a terrific singer
-
very frightening
Other Word Forms
- terrifically adverb
- unterrific adjective
- unterrifically adverb
Etymology
Origin of terrific
1660–70; < Latin terrificus frightening, equivalent to terr ( ēre ) to frighten + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The U.S. president has described her, at turns, as “fantastic,” “terrific” and “elegant.”
From Los Angeles Times
Rybakina is also on a terrific run of form of her own.
From Barron's
As played by the terrific Mr. Lutken, he is cordial but laconic, and possessed of a cool, dry humor.
“Sentimental Value” and “Predator: Badlands,” on the other hand, are both terrific in their own right.
From Salon
The author appreciates what a terrific advance modern germ theory represents, but she also recognizes its tendency to generate absurd excesses.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
