terrible
[ ter-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈtɛr ə bəl /
adjective
distressing; severe: a terrible winter.
extremely bad; horrible: terrible coffee; a terrible movie.
exciting terror, awe, or great fear; dreadful; awful.
formidably great: a terrible responsibility.
Origin of terrible
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin
terribilis, equivalent to
terr(ēre) to frighten +
-ibilis
-ible
SYNONYMS FOR terrible
OTHER WORDS FROM terrible
ter·ri·ble·ness, noun un·ter·ri·ble, adjectiveWords nearby terrible
terrestrial planet,
terrestrial radiation,
terrestrial telescope,
terret,
terri,
terrible,
terribly,
terricolous,
terrier,
terrific,
terrify
Example sentences from the Web for terrible
British Dictionary definitions for terrible
terrible
/ (ˈtɛrəbəl) /
adjective
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
Derived forms of terrible
terribleness, nounWord Origin for terrible
C15: from Latin
terribilis, from
terrēre to terrify