terrible
adjective
ter·ri·ble
ˈter-ə-bəl 
ˈte-rə-
1
: extremely bad: such as
a
: notably unattractive or objectionable
terrible behavior
b
: of very poor quality
a terrible movie
c
: strongly repulsive : obnoxious
a terrible smell
2
a
: difficult
in a terrible bind
b
: formidable in nature : awesome
a terrible responsibility
c
: exciting extreme alarm or intense fear : terrifying
terribleness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of terrible in a Sentence
Traffic was held up by a terrible accident.
I have a terrible cold.
The service at that restaurant is terrible.
Recent Examples on the Web
Losing hair can have a terrible effect on one's quality of life and sense of self.
—
Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Even in the short run, appeasement at Munich—a term with terrible connotations today—was a failure.
—TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
What these three have in common is terrible public leadership with taxpayers responsible for bond repayment.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
The thought was preposterous, terrible—the thought of the goose-feather pillow pressed over a face.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Read: What Hamas promises, Iranians know too well Third, Iranians have a recent memory of how terrible war can be.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2024
Go back: Visit last week’s roundup, which includes Tesla’s terrible week, Ford’s bet on hybrids, and Chinese EV companies’ innovations.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The photograph, taken by Ukraine’s state emergency services, has circulated widely in Ukraine — and has been held up as a tragic symbol of the terrible toll exacted on civilians by Russia’s war.
—Constant Méheut Oksana Parafeniuk, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The terrible irony is that many of those landscapes are increasingly being torn apart by bigger, hotter wildfires and other weather disasters made worse by global warming, and overwhelmed by air pollution from gasoline vehicles on our freeways.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Even in the short run, appeasement at Munich—a term with terrible connotations today—was a failure.
—TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
What these three have in common is terrible public leadership with taxpayers responsible for bond repayment.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
The thought was preposterous, terrible—the thought of the goose-feather pillow pressed over a face.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Read: What Hamas promises, Iranians know too well Third, Iranians have a recent memory of how terrible war can be.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2024
Go back: Visit last week’s roundup, which includes Tesla’s terrible week, Ford’s bet on hybrids, and Chinese EV companies’ innovations.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The photograph, taken by Ukraine’s state emergency services, has circulated widely in Ukraine — and has been held up as a tragic symbol of the terrible toll exacted on civilians by Russia’s war.
—Constant Méheut Oksana Parafeniuk, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The terrible irony is that many of those landscapes are increasingly being torn apart by bigger, hotter wildfires and other weather disasters made worse by global warming, and overwhelmed by air pollution from gasoline vehicles on our freeways.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near terrible
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrible. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrible
adjective
ter·ri·ble
ˈter-ə-bəl
2
a
: very great in degree
made a terrible mess of things
a terrible cold
b
: very bad in quality
terrible music
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