terribly
Americanadverb
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in a terrible manner
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(intensifier)
you're terribly kind
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of terribly
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.
A small part of the problem is that the dividend aristocrat index is equal-weighted, but it has done terribly even compared with the equal-weighted S&P, which is itself lagging behind the normal, market-value-weighted index.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
"Birds very often get caught in anti-drone nets or become entangled in fibre-optic cables, injuring their wings, and they suffer terribly," Iryna Snopko, the shelter's 63-year-old director told AFP.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
That means it isn’t terribly rare, but before Monday, it only had done so 34 times when the VIX moved up by at least 5%, according to the Dow Jones data.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
"He doesn't have a penny to go private and it's painful, terribly painful. will you say 'sorry'?"
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
I had always thought of birds as not terribly intelligent—although Hawk did much to change my mind.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
