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terribly
[ ter-uh-blee ]
ˈterribly
/ ˈtɛrəblɪ /
adverb
- in a terrible manner
- (intensifier)
you're terribly kind
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Example Sentences
Fox News’s team appears not to be terribly interested in talking about any of that, and so it often doesn’t.
Whether they’re made from plants or animals, the menu items at your local McDonald’s aren’t terribly nutritious.
They know that I love their children and will do everything in my power to keep them safe and help them grow during a terribly difficult time.
Nothing we have seen so far has me terribly worried about the vaccine.
I don’t terribly like eating brain, though I have eaten brain and it doesn’t taste bad.
Since the age of six or seven, Wendy Roome knew something was terribly wrong about her.
The masterpiece is huge, but structurally flawed and terribly vulnerable to seismic activity.
Lars von Trier, the terribly talented Danish provocateur, is quite a character.
If you look at said canon, you will notice that most of them are terribly written.
This would, of course, have seemed terribly inappropriate in the mid-19th century.
She sat straight up in bed, and jerked her hands to her head, and screamed long and terribly.
The —— regiment was spoken of in the highest terms; it had been in the heat of the action, and had been terribly cut up.
Even Chet Belding, who was always at her beck and call, was terribly busy these days.
The “galerie” has arrived—with the smallest of the three daughters inside, all out of breath from her run and terribly excited.
They travelled as between deck passengers and suffered terribly from the cold.
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Related Words
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More About Terribly
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.
Where does terribly come from?
The first records of the word terribly come from the 1400s. Terrible comes from the Latin terribilis, which ultimately derives from the Latin verb terrēre, meaning “to frighten” or “to terrify.” Terrēre is also the basis of terrify, terrifying, and terror.
Terrible is most popularly used to simply mean “really bad,” in much the same way that horrible and awful are often used. The adverb awfully is a close synonym for terribly both when it means “very bad” and when it means “very.” When used to mean “very,” it’s perhaps even more commonly used in negative ways, such as saying that two things are not terribly different or that something is not terribly exciting.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to terribly?
- terrible (adjective)
What are some synonyms for terribly?
What are some words that share a root or word element with terribly?
What are some words that often get used in discussing terribly?
How is terribly used in real life?
Both senses of the word terribly are commonly used.
Satire is hard to do well. Seussian poetry is hard to do well. They're both easy to do terribly. Even professional humorists should be cautious about trying to combine them.
— Chad Orzel (@orzelc) July 24, 2020
Nats after 105 games in 2015: 55-50, one game back. Nats after 105 games in 2014: 58-47, 1-1/2 games up. Not terribly different.
— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) August 5, 2015
Hi, this is Lisa. I am terribly sorry about this situation. Let me see what I can do for you. Can you DM me one tracking number off of one package, your apartment business name, the full address, phone and email address? I'll get this to the ground terminal for you. Thanks.
— FedEx Help (@FedExHelp) July 22, 2020
Try using terribly!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of terribly?
A. awfully
B. horribly
C. badly
D. nicely
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