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terrible

adjective

ˈter-ə-bəl How to pronounce terrible (audio)
Definition of terriblenext
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

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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 On the day this terrible event occurred and for the following few weeks and months, our country was united in a way not seen since World War II. — Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Many wonderful and terrible things have happened in the 25 years since, some related to the 9/11 attacks, many not at all. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 McVay is 6-2 in season openers, but both of his losses were in showcase games that led to terrible season starts. — CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026 Before the terrible day was over firehouses, street corners and parks became mourning places. — Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
  1. horrible
  2. intense
  3. horrific
  4. awful
  5. poor
  6. terrifying
  7. intensive
  8. gruesome
Adjective
  • Much has been written about the power of artificial intelligence to improve life in myriad ways, but also about its truly horrible effects—now and going forward—if it isn’t managed properly.
    — Nadine Hack, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But the horrible scenes that unfolded before him were incomparable.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Ukrainian officials are expecting another winter of intense Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, a tactic Moscow has employed each winter of the full-scale invasion in a bid to freeze the country into submission.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In his research for both projects, his mood boards filled up with references to periods of intense cultural flowering cut short—Weimar Germany, 1970s Iran, Cuba in the ’50s, and New York City before the AIDS crisis.
    — Sean Santiago, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Thompson, then 23, and Rocco James Surace, then 30, beat Ivester with chains, burned her with cigarettes and assaulted her with a chair leg during the horrific ordeal inside the Sunny Isles Motel, 16375 Biscayne Blvd.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Indications of this are when Covid starts to overwhelm the hospital and Maya is in the center of this horrific pandemic.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • To Morrison, as well as to the filmmakers, this awful backstory makes something cathartic of his accomplishment.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • So the fact that there was this whole section of gay actors who weren’t allowed to do that is awful.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • The following season, Chelsea topped their Champions League group, but poor Premier League form saw Mourinho sacked in mid-December.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Many are in poor shape, with thin, uninsulated walls, leaky windows, old or broken swamp coolers and electrical systems that can't always handle air conditioners.
    — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • He’s crafted a propulsive, simultaneously terrifying and hilarious thrill ride that showcases both his cinematic chops and perverse sense of humor.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Compounding fears was a terrifying warning from a former AI executive last week that AI could end civilization within a decade and the tech companies aren’t doing enough about it.
    — S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • The second cohort members are all to become part of the intensive acceleration phase that’s steered by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership innovation team, with a concentration on pilot readiness.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The inaugural Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Filmmaker Retreat, a four-day intensive program for filmmakers based in the Mid-South/South, held in partnership with Indie Media Arts South, launching October 10 – 13.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • On a more altruistic front, Leighton also stands ready to end a gruesome pandemic in another world, turning up with vaccines and medications like a multidimensional DoorDash service.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Where does that leave the gruesome project that binds them together?
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of gruesome

Phrases Containing terrible

Browse Nearby Words

terrestrial
terrible
terribleness
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Cite this Entry

“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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