terrible

[ter-uh-buhl] / ˈtɛr ə bəl /

ADJECTIVE

bad, horrible

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abhorrent appalling atrocious awesome awful dangerous dire disastrous disturbing dreadful frightful ghastly gruesome harrowing hideous horrendous horrid horrifying serious severe shocking unfortunate unpleasant

WEAK

awe-inspiring beastly desperate dread dreaded fearful hateful inconvenient loathsome monstrous obnoxious odious offensive petrifying poor repulsive revolting rotten unnerving unwelcome vile

Antonyms

STRONGEST

beautiful calming comforting delightful fortunate good happy inoffensive lucky mild nice pleasant pleasing trivial unimportant wonderful

WEAK

great

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I’ve always been terrible at negotiating. I freeze, accept the first number, and regret it for months,” one Reddit user wrote.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

The entire premise of “The Office” hinges on this funny concept that terrible bosses exist.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

And we definitely didn’t want to lose the one nonbinary character in the show — a terrible trope we were loath to fuel.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

"They were very strict about it. I might get into terrible trouble."

From BBC • May 30, 2026

“Truly, I feel terrible that you came all this way,” I end up saying.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Vocabulary lists containing terrible

Week 2 Vocabulary

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Spelling Practice, Unit 5

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Spelling Practice 2, Unit 8

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!