1
as in horrible
causing fear
a terrible nightmare that woke me up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of terrible
This is a terrible disgrace to the legacy of the great Nelson Mandela.
—
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 21 May 2025
Until one terrible night on Sept. 29, 2000, when a car theft suspect Toney was chasing shot him four times, the fatal round hitting the officer just above his bulletproof vest and killing him the day before his 32nd birthday.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 21 May 2025
These brothers want to find them for you Samantha Wilson, who runs Smart Move Italy, a firm that helps people through the immigration process, called the law change terrible news.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
Reports that terrible things were happening to the Nuba filtered in from the mountains.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 21 May 2025
Until one terrible night on Sept. 29, 2000, when a car theft suspect Toney was chasing shot him four times, the fatal round hitting the officer just above his bulletproof vest and killing him the day before his 32nd birthday.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 21 May 2025
These brothers want to find them for you Samantha Wilson, who runs Smart Move Italy, a firm that helps people through the immigration process, called the law change terrible news.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
Reports that terrible things were happening to the Nuba filtered in from the mountains.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
Adjective
-
However, her tragic demise spooks and haunts Jen, since her death is incredibly horrible and sad, rocking the whole Capesode community.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
14 May 2025
-
Jurors viewed for a fifth time in two days the video footage of the horrible beating that followed.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
Losing someone the caliber of Soto’s track record stung the Yankees and certainly their fans based on the reaction of an intense Subway Series.—
Larry Fleisher,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
-
But Trump couldn't get the change included in his 2017 economic legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, amid an intense lobbying campaign from the industry and some GOP lawmakers to protect the break.—
Riley Beggin,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
Abuse Of Power: Season 1 (May 19) Long-running ID series American Monster enters a new chapter with Abuse of Power, a long-form series that takes on cases where horrific crimes and scandals were covered up and disposed of by authority figures.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
16 May 2025
-
Sheriff’s officials released footage that showed the horrific attack.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
The downsides are that DEET smells awful, is oily, and can damage anything with plastic in it, like synthetic clothing and camping gear.—
Kristin Canning,
Wired News,
21 May 2025
-
The name itself isn’t awful, but actions have consequences.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
The product was released in 2023 to a poor reception, and discontinued before the company began winding down operations in February.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
-
This tactic is sometimes used to justify letting an employee go under the guise of poor performance.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
The family eventually crosses paths with a corrupt theme-park operator (John Ortiz), his sheriff (Colin Hanks) and a terrifying crime boss (Sharon Stone) before chaos ensues.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
As the clip continues, attendees recall the infamous countdown clock that preceded Scott’s performance, before discussing in harrowing detail the terrifying sensation of being caught in the crowd surge.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
With 4 million packages a day passing through American gateways using the de minimis exception, and around half of those shipments hailing from China, CBP is now contending with a much more intensive entry process for small shipments than it’s been accustomed to.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
13 May 2025
-
The department conducts an annual review of each state, and a more intensive one that’s supposed to be completed roughly every five years.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
But the rich emotional depth of that film is matched in Bring Her Back, a horror movie that delights in gruesome practical effects but also presents a nuanced character study, with little judgement passed on its bereaved antagonist, Laura.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
16 May 2025
-
It was later discovered he had been killed in a gruesome attack that U.S. intelligence says was ordered by the country's de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share