terrible
Americanadjective
-
very serious or extreme
a terrible cough
-
informal of poor quality; unpleasant or bad
a terrible meal
a terrible play
-
causing terror
-
causing awe
the terrible nature of God
Usage
What does terrible mean? Terrible is commonly used to mean extremely bad—awful, 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 “extremely bad.”)When it’s 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. 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 there—bad food and even worse service.
Other Word Forms
- terribleness noun
- unterrible adjective
Etymology
Origin of terrible
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin terribilis, equivalent to terr(ēre) “to frighten” + -ibilis -ible
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.
"I know these people", she said of the strike victims, "people we know, neighbours, like family. It's simply a terrible day", Ben David said.
From Barron's
It would have been terrible to run on if I was a fresh, fleet-footed 20-year-old, but I was 51 and still trying to outrun guys half my age.
He added that people in Iran "were in lots of pain economically and the freedom is terrible".
From BBC
As terrible an owner as he is, even Arte Moreno realized the first move as a new owner is important: He significantly lowered beer prices at Angels games immediately after he bought the team.
From Los Angeles Times
"I was sitting and ended up on the floor, along with the other passengers. It was terrible."
From Barron's
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.
