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
Etymology
Origin of terrific
1660–70; < Latin terrificus frightening, equivalent to terr ( ēre ) to frighten + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic
Explanation
Something that's terrific is wonderful, like a terrific concert you'll never forget. Terrific can also describe something very intense, like a terrific thunderstorm. Anything huge or loud or forceful can be described with the adjective terrific. A marathon runner might put in a terrific effort during the last mile of the race, or a band can make a terrific racket when it practices. Terrific can also mean great, like your terrific new hair cut. Terrific's origin is more scary than wonderful: the Latin root is terrificus, causing terror or fear.
Vocabulary lists containing terrific
"Dragon, Dragon"
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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.
“We have a lot of terrific menu items, but some of our recipes and processes haven’t evolved in decades,” Masino said in 2024.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Mr. Morgan, whose inspiration seems clear enough—Robert De Niro’s Johnny Boy—is terrific as the half-crazy, wildly impulsive Mickey, whose abduction by the Italians occupies much of the early going.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“He was a terrific manager devoted to the readers of the paper, specifically in how the paper presented the news on Page 1,” former Times National Editor Roger Smith said Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
He never went away, but isn’t it terrific to see him on TV again?
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Then a terrific blow hurled the three humans against the side of the balloon where Iorek Byrnison’s armor was stacked.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
