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.

And we definitely didn’t want to lose the one nonbinary character in the show — a terrible trope we were loath to fuel.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

“Last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,” OpenAI previously told local news station WEAR-TV in a statement.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

As for the Knicks, the defeat launched nearly three decades of fired coaches, terrible trades, talentless rosters—and one remarkable hot streak that has them right back on the sport’s biggest stage.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, who were all living together in Greenford, London, died on 13 May in what police called a "terrible tragedy".

From BBC • May 29, 2026

“I wish I hadn’t, though. It was pretty terrible, hearing all the things people said about me. Especially with the way Rachel kept bringing it up at school...”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Vocabulary lists containing terrible

Week 2 Vocabulary

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Spelling Practice, Unit 5

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Spelling Practice 2, Unit 8

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!