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
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
While the latter is known for its legendarily terrible English localization, both of these were highly innovative horizontal scrolling shmups for their time.
—
Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025
In each case, Reid felt the player was a good-hearted person who had done something terrible but was sincere in his desire to atone and grow.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
Elsewhere, Javon Baker caught a bomb and a demotion, Marcus Jones starred, the pass rush was restored, and both kickers had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad practice.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
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Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025
In each case, Reid felt the player was a good-hearted person who had done something terrible but was sincere in his desire to atone and grow.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
Elsewhere, Javon Baker caught a bomb and a demotion, Marcus Jones starred, the pass rush was restored, and both kickers had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad practice.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrible. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrible
adjective
ter·ri·ble
ˈter-ə-bəl
2
a
: very great in degree
made a terrible mess
a terrible cold
b
: very bad in quality
terrible music
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