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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of terrible
Photograph: Getty Images But the terrible user interface hasn’t been enough for Instagram chief Adam Mosseri to green-light a version designed for the iPad.
—
Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 12 Apr. 2025
One of the most shocking revelations in the book is the terrible abuse Ono suffered after her husband’s murder.
—Paul Liberatore, Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2025
That’s where McIlroy finished, which isn’t terrible by any means.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
That won’t be the case for everyone—athletes who have spent years honing their swings and timing could be thrown off by the new shape, and several players using torpedo bats have had terrible starts to this season.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 12 Apr. 2025
One of the most shocking revelations in the book is the terrible abuse Ono suffered after her husband’s murder.
—Paul Liberatore, Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2025
That’s where McIlroy finished, which isn’t terrible by any means.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
That won’t be the case for everyone—athletes who have spent years honing their swings and timing could be thrown off by the new shape, and several players using torpedo bats have had terrible starts to this season.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
Adjective
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Some veterans have impressed at the midpoint of coach Mike Norvell's spring-practice rebuilding as FSU aims to recover from last year's horrible campaign.—
Bob Ferrante,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
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But then two horrible shifts by the Wild turned the game upside down in the blink of an eye.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The missions became more intense as Japan's outlook grew more dire and the military showcased the sacrifice of the pilots to drum up patriotism and support for the war.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
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Her message prompted an intense, impassioned reaction.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Viscerally horrific, conceptually mindblowing, achingly humane.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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With that horrific risk in mind, the crew hatches a new plan.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Players who are in strong lineups on teams prone to having awful lineups on the floor in the same games are prone to having skewed impact numbers.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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The memes are endless as the LIV Golf star has played awful golf on Sunday.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Some parents worry that Alexa's high tolerance for rudeness instills poor behavior in their kids, according to Quartz.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
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Then someone pointed a finger at a surprising culprit: the soldiers’ poor health.—
Maxim Sytch,
Harvard Business Review,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Back in August, Renner spoke about how his terrifying snowplow accident in January 2023 led to his daughter becoming a little more independent.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The terrifying predicament happened Sunday, March 23, in a wooded area off Interstate 10 in LaPlace, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a March 26 news release.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That could include chemical-intensive lab work like testing sea lions, killer whales and walruses from Alaska for environmental contaminants, Tolimieri said.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
11 Apr. 2025
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Class-size mandates effectively compete with other investments, like hiring more mental health professionals or investing in intensive teacher training for the existing workforce.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Thoughtful, but gruesome is an apt descriptor for the film as well.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
5 Apr. 2025
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This was true of Fury (2015) as well, his brutal and gruesome war drama featuring Brad Pitt as a tank commander in the final days of World War II leading a platoon of hardened, traumatized, broken soldiers.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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