Definition of terrible in English:

adjective

• 1Extremely or distressingly bad or serious.

  ‘a terrible crime’

  ‘the terrible conditions in which the ordinary people lived’

  ‘terrible pain’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Instead, he thought about Whitney, worried that she was in pain or that terrible things were happening to her.’
  • ‘We can see a poor man in terrible trouble yet fail to help him.’
  • ‘There, amid the danger and terrible conditions, he found a new sense of purpose.’
  • ‘This terrible tragedy has serious repercussions for animals, too.’
  • ‘He was in terrible pain and I rang for the ambulance.’
  • ‘All I can remember is the constant terrible pain.’
  • ‘In those first, terrible days after the storm and catastrophic flood, the poorest citizens were locked in a desperate struggle for survival.’
  • ‘Those against capital punishment argue that it is brutal and degrading, while supporters regard it as an essential way of achieving vengeance/revenge for terrible crimes.’
  • ‘Some people with terrible disabilities reveal extraordinary qualities, which enrich their own lives and those of people around them.’
  • ‘We have been sick for nearly three months - headaches, severe neck stiffness and pain, rashes and terrible fatigue.’
  • ‘It is a terrible reality that poor children in the South can get guns but not a decent meal.’
  • ‘In the 1950s, chemical weapons, like hydrogen bombs, became symbols of terror that could bring terrible destruction.’
  • ‘Everyone, especially the poor, felt the terrible effects of the famine of 1846 and 1847 with its suffering, death and destruction.’
  • ‘A spokesman said: ‘This was a truly terrible and tragic accident, at a time when they were supposed to be the happiest of their lives.’’
  • ‘I am, therefore, aware of the terrible effect that serious lung disease can have on an individual and their family.’
  • ‘All her friends pray every day that the British government will bring the perpetrator of this terrible crime to justice.’
  • ‘Rarely does television so sensitively and thoughtfully depict the terrible grief and pain of loss, with all its far-reaching and long-lived repercussions.’
  • ‘That work was made for a hospital run by an order of monks whose mission was to serve people who were in terrible pain, especially those who had lost limbs.’
  • ‘I mean, people say the trial is itself proof that things have changed, that there is a consensus that these were terrible crimes and that someone must answer for them.’
  • ‘We learned, as too many other families learned, of the terrible pain and loneliness that must be endured as each day brings another reminder of this very long goodbye.’

  Synonyms

  dreadful, awful, appalling, horrific, horrifying, horrible, horrendous, atrocious, abominable, abhorrent, frightful, fearful, shocking, hideous, ghastly, grim, dire, hateful, unspeakable, gruesome, monstrous, sickening, heinous, vile

  severe, extreme, intense, excruciating, agonizing, unbearable, intolerable, unendurable, insufferable

  very bad, dreadful, awful, frightful, atrocious, hopeless, poor, inadequate, inferior, unsatisfactory, laughable, substandard

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable.
     ‘the weather was terrible’
     More example sentences

     • ‘These poor are living under terrible conditions.’
     • ‘Both of these scenes look terrible, with very poor video quality, but they are nice to have and were a treat to find.’
     • ‘The rather poor line-up and the terrible conditions dissuaded me from returning Sunday.’
     • ‘Do you fear that this is now going to - this terrible, poor taste is going to spread?’
     • ‘‘A debacle of poor grammar and terrible jokes’ would probably be more accurate and soon you will realize this.’
     • ‘Life at the bottom of society was always difficult in the late medieval and early modern periods: but around 1600 conditions for many of the poor were terrible.’
     • ‘Furthermore, most new houses for relocated families are undesirable because of their distant location, poor facilities or terrible environment.’
     • ‘With a terrible script and poor design and direction, The Hunchback of Notre Dame has rapidly become known as the worst in the Stratford Festival's history.’
     • ‘Soon the wealthy will look at the poor and notice how terrible their teeth are.’
     • ‘Most restaurants have terrible food for us poor veggies!’
     • ‘The already terrible condition of Barcelona's poor had been augmented by a fierce downturn for the textile industry.’
     • ‘Poor conditions cause injuries, as do the terrible shoes they wear until they are in shreds.’
     • ‘Drinks were very poor and the service was terrible.’
     • ‘It's not terrible, but there are two annoying qualities about it.’
     • ‘You'll likely get terrible work - or they'll ask for more money and threaten to walk out if you don't pay up.’
     • ‘They plonk on roads and mess up the already terrible traffic system.’
     • ‘This is also not to say that Hollywood films - especially when homogenized into one general category - are terrible and worthless, either.’
     • ‘The voice work on the dub is terrible and obnoxious, but the action scenes fare better, with great use of the sub and surrounds.’
     • ‘If you do spot a moose or two, remember that they are large, wild creatures with terrible eyesight and a nasty disposition.’
     • ‘It plays poorly, looks terrible and sounds even worse.’
     Synonyms

     nasty, disgusting, very unpleasant, awful, dreadful, ghastly, horrid, horrible, vile, foul, abominable, frightful, loathsome, revolting, repulsive, odious, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, repellent, repugnant, horrendous, hideous, appalling, offensive, objectionable, obnoxious

     unkind, nasty, unpleasant, foul, obnoxious, vile, contemptible, despicable, wretched, shabby

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  2. 1.2Extremely incompetent or unskillful.
     ‘she is terrible at managing her money’
  3. 1.3informal attributive Used to emphasize the extent of something unpleasant or bad.
     ‘what a terrible mess’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Why would he be selfish enough to kill himself and leave poor Delia with this terrible burden?’
     • ‘His fiancée was accidentally drowned on the very eve of their wedding and Joseph Scriven was plunged into terrible sorrow.’
     • ‘For it was only when that shocked medics were able to examine the X-Rays that they were able to judge the full extent of his terrible injury.’
     • ‘When I moved into my new house, the garden was a terrible mess.’
     • ‘On one hand, the film is a terrible mess of plot holes, ridiculous premises, and overacting.’
     • ‘Last night I put the sauce in the microwave and didn't watch it - it boiled over and made a terrible mess.’
     • ‘Alladi Jayasri writes about Gurudev, who reminds us of the terrible calamities waiting to punish us for our cruelty to Nature.’
     • ‘‘He seemed to be filled with terrible hopelessness,’ she writes.’
     • ‘The grief of the parents of this poor girl has been terrible.’
     • ‘I am really looking forward to working on the games, but like many I'm worried I'll make a terrible mess of things.’
     • ‘The commission of inquiry exposed the terrible poverty, poor housing conditions and lack of social services that had led to the tragedy.’
     • ‘Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are amateurishly done, with terrible costumes including pathetic-looking tails.’
     • ‘I swallowed hard, trying to take in the sight of my home in such a terrible mess.’
     • ‘It can be a particularly painful and unpleasant disease with serious side-effects which can take a terrible toll on quality of life.’
     • ‘The closure of the Webb's chicken factory was a terrible blow to the town's economy, but presented civic leaders with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’
     • ‘The poor girl looked so beaten, with a terrible black eye.’
     • ‘I also had a couple of ciders and that together with the bright sunlight most likely brought on the terrible headache that incapacitated me in the evening.’
     • ‘We got up the next morning to find this room a terrible mess - dead leaves and branches, chips of bark and shards of glass everywhere.’
     • ‘This actually may be happening to some extent with the terrible AIDS pandemic that's occurring in Africa.’
     Synonyms

     incorrigible, outrageous, great, extreme

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  4. 1.4as complement Extremely unwell or troubled.
     ‘I was sick all night and felt terrible for two solid days’
     ‘Maria felt terrible because she had forgotten the woman's name’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Only it was, and now you feel terrible, downright sick to the bottom of your stomach, and the look on Noah's face makes you instantly regret your decision to tell him.’
     • ‘I paused before answering, feeling terrible and sick to my stomach.’
     • ‘When someone approached and joked that he looked terrible, he smiled.’
     • ‘His face went white, he clutched his chest and the poor guy looked terrible.’
     • ‘I feel terrible at the disappointed tone in his voice… whatever it is he wants me to see, it's got to be something really good.’
     • ‘One always feels sort of terrible disagreeing with people who have clearly endured horrors that you have no handle on.’
     • ‘And despite feeling much better I also feel terrible for being so nasty.’
     • ‘If you feel that terrible about it, try comparing yourself to yourself.’
     • ‘I looked at Gabriela Szabo after four laps and she looked absolutely terrible.’
     • ‘The options were overpriced, unattractive and could make a super model look terrible.’
     • ‘"You must have made her feel terrible, " he said.’
     • ‘I feel pretty terrible; you don't blame it on some poor videographer.’
     Synonyms

     ill, unwell, poorly, bad, indisposed, sick, queasy, nauseous, nauseated, peaky, liverish, out of sorts, green about the gills

     guilty, conscience-stricken, remorseful, guilt-ridden, ashamed, chastened, contrite, sorry, full of regret, regretful, repentant, penitent, shamefaced, self-reproachful, apologetic

     View synonyms

• 2Causing or likely to cause terror; sinister.

  ‘the stranger gave a terrible smile’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Yet we knew a terrible secret far more sinister than Ray Martin's wig or the little green men at Roswell.’
  • ‘Shuto screamed an ancient battle cry and charged into the night, the only light in the dark the sinister eyes of his terrible adversaries.’
  • ‘She turned to Wolf with a terrible little smile.’
  • ‘‘Time to cut the cake,’ said Elaine's father with a terrible forced smile.’
  • ‘The woman stumbled back, a terrible smile on her pretty face, swallowing in the drink in her mouth before she allowed herself a grin, and then a laugh.’
  • ‘But he protested his innocence, and as he rambled on, Hera all the while smiled her terrible smile and stroked my flanks.’
  • ‘Heathcliff was lying on his back, and he met Nelly with a terrible smile!’
  • ‘She brought the knife to Abby's throat, smiling in terrible triumph, and Chris screamed.’
  • ‘I was on my knees, my vision clouded in a haze of pain, and then I shook it off and stood up, a terrible smile on my face.’
  • ‘He smiled a terrible smile and immediately left the room.’
  • ‘They both have terrible teeth, and consequently terrible, close-lipped smiles.’
  • ‘A spooky lady smiles, nursing something terrible in a parcel.’
  • ‘That terrible smile of his returned slyly, as if he knew precisely what he was doing.’
  • ‘Ramirez smiled then, a terrible rictus with more than a hint of malice.’
  • ‘In a world with only one remaining superpower, even small and materially poor states and groups can pose terrible threats.’
  • ‘It emphasises how terrible the villain is: the woman's warning that the hero's life is in danger conveys to the audience how powerful the villain is, and thus makes the tale more exciting.’
  • ‘The sky was a lullaby of blue light and ice, but looking beyond that, near the edge of sight, there was a fire, something soothing and terrible at once.’
  • ‘The dungeon of hell is a terrible but mysterious place.’
  • ‘Somewhere in the darkness, the faint echo of a terrible drawn out scream was carried on the breeze from the mountains and the three adventurers froze in place.’
  • ‘He said the arson gang were ‘sick and truly terrible individuals’ and condemned them and their families for laughing and joking during the trial, and when it concluded.’