1
as in horrible
causing fear
a terrible nightmare that woke me up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
I have a terrible headache
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
that is a terrible movie to let your six-year-old watch
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in awful
extremely unsatisfactory
this nonfat ice cream is terrible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in poor
of low quality
manufactures terrible clothes that often tear after a single wash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrible
During the president's first term, lots of folks said that the president's historic tariffs on China during the first term were going to be terrible for the economy.
—
ABC News, 6 July 2025
Even one instance of an innocent person being swept in raids is terrible, but to witness multiple cases of people being detained, deported and denied due process in a court of law is disheartening.
—David Plazas, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Fireworks Can Pose Serious Risks Dr. Pham shared the story of a patient and mom, Lisa Dickerson, who had a terrible injury from fireworks.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 2 July 2025
Rarely great, and consistently cringey in that NHL way we’re used to by now, but rarely terrible.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
ABC News, 6 July 2025
Even one instance of an innocent person being swept in raids is terrible, but to witness multiple cases of people being detained, deported and denied due process in a court of law is disheartening.
—David Plazas, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Fireworks Can Pose Serious Risks Dr. Pham shared the story of a patient and mom, Lisa Dickerson, who had a terrible injury from fireworks.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 2 July 2025
Rarely great, and consistently cringey in that NHL way we’re used to by now, but rarely terrible.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
Adjective
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To be able to say that so many writers have been meaningful to you is not a horrible thing.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2025
-
If Flagg develops into the human triple double who leads the team to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his first six years, the trade can be called not a horrible deal.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Early Friday morning, intense rain caused flash flooding across Texas Hill Country.—
Rebecca Angel Baer,
Southern Living,
6 July 2025
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There were several safety cars during the race, along with changing conditions with periods of intense rain followed by a drying track.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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Throughout the Holocaust, the Nazis concentrated European Jews in urban ghettos, which were marked by horrific living conditions, forced labor and the threat of execution.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
30 June 2025
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And that's a tough sell to a jury that spent weeks listening to horrific testimony about Diddy and his empire.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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This has been an awful process—a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
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However, the idea that Gunn was going to make an awful Superman movie does not match up with his history of comic book productions across Marvel and DC.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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The day before the Apollo 11 moon launch on 16 July 1969, Ralph Abernathy, Martin Luther King’s successor as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led a march of poor Black families, complete with wagons drawn by mules, to the fence of Cape Kennedy in Florida.—
Ekow Eshun
July 11,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
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This last group is those with still poor (<50) RS Ratings, but strong (>80) 3-month RS Ratings. a.—
Randy Watts,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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When the body of a young man is found eerily staged in the idyllic Scottish wilderness, detective Monica Kennedy fears this is just the beginning of a terrifying campaign that will strike the heart of a rural community.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
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The terrifying moment that passengers were made to put on oxygen masks was captured on video.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Designed to withstand intensive training, Lacoste’s abrasion-resistant piqué fabric is made with Ultra Dry moisture-wicking technology for more breathable wear.—
Lauren Alexis Fisher,
Footwear News,
27 June 2025
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Oftentimes, enrolling in an intensive language program qualifies someone for a student visa, depending on the requirements of that country (more on that later).—
Chloe Arrojado,
AFAR Media,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Accounts of government and police repression have only gotten more gruesome, with Amnesty Kenya reporting that 16 people have been shot and killed as of June 28 and local officials claiming that hundreds have been injured (while also alleging that most of those hurt were police officers).—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
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Forget turning on some gruesome horror movie: reading the daily headlines is enough to make just about anyone scream.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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