terrible

adjective

ter·ri·ble ˈter-ə-bəl

ˈte-rə-

: extremely bad: such as

: notably unattractive or objectionable

terrible behavior

: of very poor quality

a terrible movie

: strongly repulsive : obnoxious

a terrible smell

: difficult

in a terrible bind

: formidable in nature : awesome

a terrible responsibility

: exciting extreme alarm or intense fear : terrifying

: extreme, great

a terrible disappointment

terribleness noun

Example Sentences

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 Group G isn’t terrible overall, with Serbia, Cameroon and Switzerland all having talented rosters, but Brazil is the clear favorite to win the group overall.

Ian Firstenberg, Chicago Tribune, 19 Nov. 2022 Yet, even with these terrible things all pointing to her only living son, Marianne cannot abandon him.

al, 11 Nov. 2022 Indiana is terrible, in the midst of what is likely a nine-game season-ending losing streak.

Nathan Baird, cleveland, 11 Nov. 2022 Medical care is also virtually nonexistent, food is terrible and prisoners are often mistreated by other prisoners and the administration, Alexandrova wrote.

Ariana Garcia, Chron, 11 Nov. 2022 Militaries have historically been terrible at reporting their environmental impacts, let alone easing them.

Christine Ro, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022 Really terrible things happened and everything went from coke to heroine, and that was not a good thing.

Clarissa Cruz, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2022 Lewis — who died Oct. 28 at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi — did terrible things, repeatedly, across the decades.

Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2022 The defense has been terrible at tackling for at least the last 10 years, yet Staley has done nothing to address this issue.

Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'terrible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.