terrible

adjective

ˈter-ə-bəl How to pronounce terrible (audio)
Definition of terriblenext
1
as in horrible
causing fear a terrible nightmare that woke me up

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect I have a terrible headache

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent that is a terrible movie to let your six-year-old watch

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in awful
extremely unsatisfactory this nonfat ice cream is terrible

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in poor
of low quality manufactures terrible clothes that often tear after a single wash

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of terrible In terrible condition, the animals were taken to Bravehearts Equine Center in Paris, Kentucky, where they were slowly nursed back to health. — Terry Baddoo, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025 For my youngest’s terrible handwriting, that meant aiming for legibility and saving the time that could have gone toward cursive lessons for activities that animate her, such as building boats and airplanes from the contents of the recycling bin. — Gail Cornwall, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2025 But why do these terrible people and their dangerous ilk remain enduringly popular? — Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2025 This conversation is really giving a terrible image of French politicians. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
  1. horrible
  2. intense
  3. horrific
  4. awful
  5. poor
  6. terrifying
  7. intensive
  8. gruesome
Adjective
  • Some veterans have impressed at the midpoint of coach Mike Norvell's spring-practice rebuilding as FSU aims to recover from last year's horrible campaign.
    — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2025
  • But then two horrible shifts by the Wild turned the game upside down in the blink of an eye.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The missions became more intense as Japan's outlook grew more dire and the military showcased the sacrifice of the pilots to drum up patriotism and support for the war.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Next, the authors report that repressive techniques are often effective in suppressing protest in the short run but tend to make resistance more intense in the long term.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Viscerally horrific, conceptually mindblowing, achingly humane.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • With that horrific risk in mind, the crew hatches a new plan.
    — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • Players who are in strong lineups on teams prone to having awful lineups on the floor in the same games are prone to having skewed impact numbers.
    — Law Murray, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • And the awful topper came in his Arizona Fall League debut, where the Thomas Jefferson High School product was torched by some of baseball’s best prospects and didn’t make it out of the first inning.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • In fact, the massive, albeit picturesque, gullies were made because of poor farming practices during the 1800s.
    — Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Each site has a different interface, often poor or glitchy.
    — Jaron Lanier, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • Back in August, Renner spoke about how his terrifying snowplow accident in January 2023 led to his daughter becoming a little more independent.
    — Hannah Sacks, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The terrifying predicament happened Sunday, March 23, in a wooded area off Interstate 10 in LaPlace, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a March 26 news release.
    — Mark Price, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • That could include chemical-intensive lab work like testing sea lions, killer whales and walruses from Alaska for environmental contaminants, Tolimieri said.
    — Lisa Song, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Class-size mandates effectively compete with other investments, like hiring more mental health professionals or investing in intensive teacher training for the existing workforce.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2025
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • Thoughtful, but gruesome is an apt descriptor for the film as well.
    — NPR Staff, NPR, 5 Apr. 2025
  • This was true of Fury (2015) as well, his brutal and gruesome war drama featuring Brad Pitt as a tank commander in the final days of World War II leading a platoon of hardened, traumatized, broken soldiers.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of gruesome

Phrases Containing terrible

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terrestrial
terrible
terribleness
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Cite this Entry

“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

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