Definition of terrible in English:

terrible

adjective

1Extremely bad or serious.
‘a terrible crime’
‘the terrible conditions in which the ordinary people lived’
- ‘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.’
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
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1. 1.1Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable.
  ‘the weather was terrible’
  ‘‘This film features the character as a terrible and unpleasant person,’ Roth said adding that he regards himself as an angry man.’
  ‘In return, Jamie shuddered that it had been a ‘horrible, terrible film!’’
  ‘Do you fear it getting to the administration at all, or do you think this is just a horrible, terrible business scandal?’
  ‘Pre-season training is really terrible, sheer hell basically, but you always come back with fresh optimism and we have got to look forward now.’
  ‘We understand the terrible effects such nasty behaviours can create, and we don't want it here.’
  ‘Then the most terrible and sickening thought struck Tori.’
  ‘Jose Macias has had a terrible time offensively and defensively at second this year, and rookie Oscar Salazar is short on experience.’
  ‘It's been a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad year for journalism.’
  ‘Rosé expected the smell to be ghastly and terrible, but it wasn't.’
  ‘I bit back the urge to scream, as the wind whistled past my face and I braced myself for a sickening thud and terrible landing.’
  ‘No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to wake himself from the dreams, stuck in the terrible hell that was his own mind.’
  ‘It's terrible being unemployed, poor and temporarily car-less.’
  ‘I had a terrible time finding stores that stocked a selection of good quality flannel sheets in California.’
  ‘While rats may not seem like a huge menace, they have a terrible effect on neighborhood morale and the quality of everyday life.’
  ‘It's a real mess and creates a terrible impression when millions of pounds are being spent to improve the main gateways to the city.’
  ‘She's got this truly terrible habit of emphasising random syllables in news reports.’
  ‘And so that's what I hope can be available for people in these troubled times, these terrible situations.’
  ‘Here, despite the long and terrible years of the troubles, was a community rising on the economic and cultural tides, self-made and self-possessed.’
  ‘Just looking at that terrible green and blue colour scheme is enough to make me shudder.’
  ‘They're not embodying their characters and talking; they're actors poorly reciting their terrible lines.’
  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. 1.2Very unskilful.
  ‘despite passing my driving test first time, I'm a terrible driver’
  ‘I was terrible at basketball’
  ‘I was never athletic, and I'm terrible at managing anger.’
  ‘I love singing but I'm terrible at it, but that won't stop me!’
  ‘Most of them are terrible at graphic design, and often see its deployment as an unwelcome imposition on their aesthetic vision.’
  ‘The tests are pretty boring, and usually easy (except for math, but that's just because I'm terrible at math).’
  ‘It turned out Curtis was terrible at basketball.’
  ‘We are terrible at deciding not to do something.’
  ‘Tash had danced with Richard, who was surprisingly adept at a waltz, Sean, who wasn't, and David, who was terrible at everything.’
  ‘I looked over at her; she mouthed something to me, but I'm terrible at reading lips so I just shook my head and shrugged.’
  ‘I am terrible at answering the phone and calling people back.’
  ‘The only problem was that Jonah wasn't very important at all, at least in his humble opinion, and he was terrible at making plans of any sort.’
  ‘Ruth himself used to hand out nicknames to teammates, mainly because he was terrible at remembering people's real names.’
  ‘Most hair loss treatments are pretty terrible at growing new hair, but aren't bad when it comes to keeping existing hair.’
  ‘I'm terrible at writing stories, but I'm really trying to put in an effort.’
  ‘I think it probably has an okay plot, but I'm just terrible at writing it!’
  ‘I pretended to be concerned with my own affairs but it was hard considering the fact I was terrible at keeping to myself.’
  ‘Most people who work in kitchens are terrible at verbalizing what they need.’
  ‘One of the difficulties in filming animals is that they are terrible at taking direction.’
  ‘I am terrible at knowing how or when to take the step to move a relationship toward more intimacy.’
  ‘This is a good time to mention that the Core Team is terrible at identifying birds.’
  ‘Let's face it, they are a terrible, terrible offensive team.’
3. 1.3informal attributive Used to emphasize the extent of something unpleasant or bad.
  ‘what a terrible mess’
  ‘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.’
  incorrigible, outrageous, great, extreme
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4. 1.4Very unwell or troubled.
  ‘I was sick all night and felt terrible for two days’
  ‘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.’
  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’
- ‘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.’

Phrases

terrible twos

informal

A period in a child's social development (typically around the age of two years) which is associated with very defiant or unruly behaviour.
- ‘Initially, the couple put his behaviour down to the "terrible twos" syndrome.’
- ‘She never went through the "terrible twos."’
- ‘This year's programmes explore the world of the " terrible twos ".’
- ‘Parents ' most challenging times may occur during their child's "terrible twos."’
- ‘Like toddlers going through the terrible twos their only response to anything with which they disagree is childish destruction.’
- ‘Additionally, the "terrible twos" present an opportunity for parents to establish their discipline approach.’
- ‘Thank God you are finally out of those terrible twos.’
- ‘I am hopeful that she has just hit the doggy equivalent of the " terrible twos "!’
- ‘All parents who have had young children have gone through what is euphemistically known as the "terrible twos".’
- ‘Toddlers get much bad press, with talk of tantrums, whining and the terrible twos.’