terrible

[ ter-uh-buhl ]
See synonyms for terrible on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. distressing; severe: a terrible winter.

  2. extremely bad; horrible: terrible coffee;a terrible movie.

  1. exciting terror, awe, or great fear; dreadful; awful.

  2. formidably great: a terrible responsibility.

Origin of terrible

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin terribilis, equivalent to terr(ēre) “to frighten” + -ibilis -ible

Other words for terrible

Other words from terrible

  • ter·ri·ble·ness, noun
  • un·ter·ri·ble, adjective

Words Nearby terrible

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How to use terrible in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for terrible

terrible

/ (ˈtɛrəbəl) /


adjective
  1. very serious or extreme: a terrible cough

  2. informal of poor quality; unpleasant or bad: a terrible meal; a terrible play

  1. causing terror

  2. causing awe: the terrible nature of God

Origin of terrible

1
C15: from Latin terribilis, from terrēre to terrify

Derived forms of terrible

  • terribleness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012