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
The banality of her words about Ma Binney was terrible.
—
Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
For decades, agricultural laborers had lived in substandard housing and were paid terrible wages.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Travelers like to blame their airline, car rental company or hotel for their terrible trip, but there seems to be a growing consensus that many of the troubles are self-inflicted.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
Texas State baseball's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weekend mercifully ended Sunday when Marcus Aranda hit a two-run home run to left field, lifting Louisiana-Monroe to a 16-5, seven inning, run-rule win.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
For decades, agricultural laborers had lived in substandard housing and were paid terrible wages.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Travelers like to blame their airline, car rental company or hotel for their terrible trip, but there seems to be a growing consensus that many of the troubles are self-inflicted.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
Texas State baseball's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weekend mercifully ended Sunday when Marcus Aranda hit a two-run home run to left field, lifting Louisiana-Monroe to a 16-5, seven inning, run-rule win.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
Adjective
-
Arsenal, like Chelsea and City, have that horrible Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday schedule to contend with.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
At this point, however, this news is neither insignificant nor horrible.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
However, the constant tension on my hair can have my curls feeling dry and in need of intense moisture.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The series is about the horrific shock of unexpected sorrow, how death can divide families (or bring people together) and how navigating pain can alter perspectives and paths forward.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In the 1970s-1980s, all the agricultural talk in the Mississippi Delta was whether the boll weevil would be terrible or just awful this coming fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
After a week of awful basketball, Minnesota led the NBA’s reigning champions – and favorites to repeat – by nine in the third quarter Sunday in Oklahoma City.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While youth suicide remains a leading cause of death, the youth suicide rate is down in Colorado, and the number of kids reporting poor mental health also dropped from 23% in 2023 to 14% in 2025.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The launch came amid overcast skies and a weather forecast that was reduced to just a 75% chance for good conditions, according to Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron, which also noted a moderate risk for poor conditions at the booster landing site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There is something inherently terrifying about a supermassive black hole hurtling through space at an excess of three million kilometers per hour.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Even their vision of outer space seldom imparts the sense of a terrifying, unknowable vastness.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Experts say the unique geology of California’s fields, and the nature of its heavy crude, make new projects, and efforts to pump more oil out of existing ones, costlier and more energy-intensive than drilling in other parts of the country.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Still, the food supply chain is incredibly energy-intensive, with high sums of energy required at each stage of the process.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
War isn’t the only thing in the Outlander universe that can deliver a gruesome death.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The filings also revealed a gruesome new detail about the case and provided some clarity about Burke’s status in the eyes of prosecutors.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
