terrible
OTHER WORDS FOR terrible
Origin of terrible
OTHER WORDS FROM terrible
ter·ri·ble·ness, nounun·ter·ri·ble, adjectiveWords nearby terrible
MORE ABOUT TERRIBLE
What does terrible mean?
Terrible is commonly used to mean extremely badâawful, 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 âextremely bad.â)
When itâs 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.Â
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 thereâbad 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 terrÄre, meaning âto frightenâ or âto terrify.â TerrÄre is also the basis of terrify, terrifying, terror, and terrific. (Unlike horrific, the word terrific is almost never used to mean âterrifyingâ or âhorrifyingââit usually means âvery goodâ or âintense.â)
Terrible is most popularly used to simply mean âreally bad,â in much the same way that horrible and awful are often used, as in I had a terrible time at that partyâno one would talk to me! Itâs very rarely used to mean truly horrific or terrifying. Real-life horror-like violence can be described as terrible, but you wouldnât call a horror movie terrible to mean it was really scaryâyouâd 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?
What are some words that share a root or word element with terrible?Â
What are some words that often get used in discussing terrible?
How is terrible used in real life?
The word terrible is very common. Itâs 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
— âđ„đąđ©đąđ«đâ (@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