What does terrible mean?
Terrible is an everyday adjective meaning extremely bad, unpleasant, painful, or of very low quality. It can describe an event, condition, performance, mistake, or piece of work, and in informal contexts it often works as an emphatic intensifier: a mistake may be called terrible even when its consequences are less than catastrophic. The word can also retain a more literal, formal sense of causing terror or extreme dread, though that meaning is much less common today. Its force comes from its history: it once concentrated the idea of something frightful, whereas modern speakers usually employ it to indicate a very high degree of badness. This broad usage makes it especially useful for emphatic judgments, but it can sound hyperbolic when applied to minor annoyances. In careful prose, terrible often conveys a stronger judgment than the vaguer bad, while alternatives such as awful, dreadful, and atrocious provide different levels of formality and intensity.
adjectiveExtremely bad, unpleasant, painful, or of very low quality. In more formal or older usage, it can mean causing terror or extreme dread.
- Extremely bad, unpleasant, painful, or of very low quality.
- Causing terror or extreme dread; formal or archaic.
"The weather was terrible, and the delayed train made an already difficult journey even worse."
"The team's performance was terrible, and several spectators left before the end."
"She suffered terrible pain after the accident."
Once it could mean “so frightening as to inspire terror”; today it usually means “very bad.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does terrible come from?
English terrible entered Middle English through Old French terrible, borrowed from Latin terribilis, meaning “causing terror” or “dreadful.” This Latin adjective was formed from terrere, “to frighten,” with the suffix -bilis. Its English meaning broadened from the literally fear-inspiring to the modern general sense of very bad, while terror, terrify, and terrific reflect the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How terrible is actually used
Terrible is common in formal and informal English and often expresses strong disapproval or dissatisfaction. It is frequently used hyperbolically for minor problems, so careful speakers may choose a less dramatic expression when the severity is slight.
Easily confused with terrible
Terrible means extremely bad or unpleasant, whereas terrific usually means extremely good, although it can also mean causing terror in formal or older usage.