1
as in horrible
causing fear
a terrible nightmare that woke me up
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
I have a terrible headache
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3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
that is a terrible movie to let your six-year-old watch
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4
as in awful
extremely unsatisfactory
this nonfat ice cream is terrible
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5
as in poor
of low quality
manufactures terrible clothes that often tear after a single wash
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrible
The detention center is aiming to make conditions so terrible that detainees stop fighting and decide to leave.
—
Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
And the terrible, systematic lying that has surrounded each of these terrible incidents, with their attacks on basic norms of American rights and process.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
My hair was terrible, brown and straight, growing out of a bob my mother had persuaded me to get.
—Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
And to add to the danger of being out in terrible road conditions, now your car has started shaking.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
And the terrible, systematic lying that has surrounded each of these terrible incidents, with their attacks on basic norms of American rights and process.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
My hair was terrible, brown and straight, growing out of a bob my mother had persuaded me to get.
—Nell Freudenberger, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
And to add to the danger of being out in terrible road conditions, now your car has started shaking.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
Adjective
-
Are there horrible smells wafting around?—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This period of intense study laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Korean New Wave.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Shares fell during his time in government but rebounded sharply in December, reaching a record high amid intense market interest in AI.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
With the partial restoration of internet access, people inside the country and others who have left in recent days shared videos and stories with ABC News that shows the horrific nature of the regime's suppression of the protests.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Syria’s horrific civil war killed more than 500,000 people over a 14-year period starting in 2011.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Pasquantino later deleted the post, likely because fans noted his expectation about the awful things the Royals could theoretically say about him.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
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His administration’s actions in Minneapolis have been awful.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Evening people were 79% more likely to have poor overall heart health compared with those in the intermediate group, the study found.—
Dr. Joseph Wendt,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Audits have identified poor planning, weak oversight, and insufficient monitoring of quality and cost.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sets like Hobbiton and Rivendell (a home for some elves) are breathtaking, the makeup and prosthetics of the orcs still terrifying, and the costumes ethereal and otherworldly.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Jan. 2026
-
And the monsters are truly terrifying.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The tech could have an outsized effect on knowledge workers by automating the repetitive, data-intensive cognitive tasks that typically define those white-collar roles.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, was shot earlier this month while sitting in her car, while Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse, was killed in a separate encounter just over two weeks later.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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When a spate of gruesome killings that resemble a decades-old crime rock a small town, disgraced detective Lee Dong-sik (Shin Ha-kyun) has a chance to restore his reputation with the help of young upstart investigator Han Joo-won (Yeo Jin-goo).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
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Bianca Belair has been out of action since WrestleMania 41 in April 2025 after suffering a gruesome finger injury.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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