terribly

[ter-uh-blee]

adverb

1. in a terrible manner.

2. Informal.,  extremely; very.

   It's terribly late. I'm terribly sorry.

ˈterribly

/ ˈtɛrəblɪ /

adverb

1. in a terrible manner

2. (intensifier)

   you're terribly kind

Word History and Origins

Origin of terribly¹

First recorded in 1520–30; terrible + -ly

Example Sentences

But it soon became clear that he wasn’t terribly interested in signing a contract extension there.

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Roske’s call to turn herself in, the judge added, “speaks volumes about her internal moral compass and her innate understanding that what she was about to do was terribly wrong.”

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“I was very surprised that the air district reported they weren’t seeing terribly high levels of pollution,” said Julia May, senior scientist for California-based nonprofit Communities for a Better Environment.

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"The only thing that was terribly frustrating for me, I had to sit there instead of running across the stage," the former Black Sabbath frontman said.

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“I was madly in love with the Lord of the Jungle, terribly jealous of his Jane,” Goodall wrote in her 1999 memoir, “Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey.”

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Related Words

• awfully 
• badly 
• decidedly 
• desperately 
• dreadfully 
• exceedingly 
• extremely 
• greatly 
• highly 
• horribly 
• intensely 
• mightily 
• notoriously 
• remarkably 
• seriously 
• thoroughly 
• unbelievably 

When To Use

What does terribly mean?

Terribly means in a way that’s terrible—awfully, horribly, or extremely bad.The adjective terrible has a few different meanings, but the adverb form terribly is usually based on its sense meaning extremely bad or horrible, as in I did terribly on that test or The children behaved terribly this morning.Terribly is also commonly used to mean very or extremely, as in We’re terribly sorry. When used this way, it’s an intensifier—a word used to strengthen or emphasize the word it modifies.This sense of the word is commonly used in negative constructions, such as not terribly exciting, which means the same thing as not very exciting.Example: I’m not terribly interested in going on a trip with Jeff, especially since I’ve heard he drives terribly.