Definitions

terrible

[ter-uh-buhl] / ˈtɛr ə bəl /

ADJECTIVE

bad, horrible

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abhorrent appalling atrocious awesome awful dangerous dire disastrous disturbing dreadful frightful ghastly gruesome harrowing hideous horrendous horrid horrifying serious severe shocking unfortunate unpleasant

WEAK

awe-inspiring beastly desperate dread dreaded fearful hateful inconvenient loathsome monstrous obnoxious odious offensive petrifying poor repulsive revolting rotten unnerving unwelcome vile

Antonyms

STRONGEST

beautiful calming comforting delightful fortunate good happy inoffensive lucky mild nice pleasant pleasing trivial unimportant wonderful

WEAK

great

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

England's Marco Penge, who plays on the European Tour with Pavan, wrote on X:, external "Terrible news. Sending Andrea and his family all my love. He's a great guy!"

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

In 2017, Mr. Mian writes, Mr. Putin “commissioned a statue of Ivan the Terrible in central Moscow. It immediately became a pilgrimage destination.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Sam, Brighton: Terrible decision to overturn, barely touched him and was already going down.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

Terrible things are always happening on Earth, regardless of the strides made in space travel.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2025

Terrible winds and thunderstorms had swept through Washington early that morning, dissolving the dirt streets into a sticky muck of soil and garbage.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Vocabulary lists containing terrible

Week 2 Vocabulary

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Spelling Practice, Unit 5

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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 8

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