terrible
27
1.0
- adjective
- /ˈtɛrɪbəl/
- Where I come from, there's a terrible drought.
- a terrible war
- terrible weapons
- terrible atrocities
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Watch on YouTubeThe earth is also terrible and dark and cruel.
- The earth is also terrible and dark and cruel.
- You know that last year there was a terrible earthquake in Haiti.
- And everything that seems terrible, but most of all death.
- This tells us still a terrible place it was to be in those border States.
- No pain, no death is more terrible to a wild creature than its fear of man.
- A ripple of muscle went round my world with a terrible strength.
Examples
-
They learned that beneath their remote abbey was a terrible secret.
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Step by step, the path led them down and away from this terrible beauty.
Fiction book (1990) -
- Captain, something terrible has happened.
-
My mind could never imagine such terrible things.
-
But I also know that fear is a terrible position from which to parent.
-
No pain, no death is more terrible to a wild creature than its fear of man.
-
I must point to the terrible toll they are taking on innocent human life.
Academic text (1996) -
You know that last year there was a terrible earthquake in Haiti.
-
It was, of course, a terrible tragedy for him and for my family.
-
The haunted house was filled with terrible sights that terrified the visitors.
Synonyms
∞
1.5
Very bad or frightening in a way that makes you feel upset
∞
1.0
Causing fear or making you feel afraid
248
3.0
Causing someone to feel afraid
243
5.3
Making people feel very afraid
200
5.5
Causing great fear or shock
143
6.9
Very serious, frightening, and needing action quickly
134
3.7
Very bad and unpleasant, often causing fear or shock
103
4.5
Makes people feel very afraid and shocked
84
5.6
Causing shock and strong disgust because it is very bad
79
7.0
Very shocking and scary, causing fear or disgust
63
4.5
Very bad and shocking, causing people to feel fear or sadness
58
1.1
Very frightening and causing fear or dread
47
4.1
A very unpleasant thing that shocks or disgusts you
41
6.8
Causing great fear and shock, often like death or ghosts
34
4.8
Very frightening and likely to make people afraid
29
8.4
Very bad and unpleasant
27
7.3
Very cruel and shocking, causing strong fear
20
2.9
Causing strong fear and worry
16
7.0
Very frightening and unpleasant, like a bad dream
7
7.6
Very cruel and shocking, causing great pain and fear
2
4.2
Very bad or unpleasant in a strong way
1
9.9
Causing great fear or showing terrible danger
Making someone feel very afraid
Antonyms
Compounds
How Frightening
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Terrible comes from the Latin word terrere 'to frighten', and it shares the same root as terror and terrify. So a terrible event in this sense is something that causes fear or terror.