I. ˈterəbəl adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin terribilis, from terrēre to frighten + -ibilis -ible — more at terror
1.
a. : exciting extreme alarm : frightening , terrifying
the instantly cataclysmic effect of these terrible new weapons — J.C.Slessor
the terrible powers of the Inquisition — J.H.Randall
b. : overwhelmingly tragic
a human being devoid of hope is the most terrible object in the world — Victor Heiser
c. : formidable in nature : commanding respect : awesome , imposing
courage of those sailors … made the flag of England terrible on the seas — T.B.Macaulay
a choice … which affected so many other lives was a terrible responsibility — John Mason Brown
d. : requiring extreme effort or fortitude : difficult , laborious
a terrible ordeal
a terrible task
2. : extreme in degree : great , intense
terrible anxiety
the artist's terrible and all-consuming dedication to his work — David Sylvester
3.
a. : defective or injurious in nature : bad , destructive
the road got bumpier … and the land on either side of it was in terrible shape — Emily Hahn
the rainy season finds its terrible climax … in the crashing impact of a hurricane — Marjory S. Douglas
b. : strongly repulsive : disreputable , obnoxious
people … live in that terrible old shack — Peggy Bennett
musk … smells simply terrible by itself — D.W.Dresden
4.
a. : tending to appall : dreadful , shocking
blend of terrible sentimentality and brassy sophistication — Wolcott Gibbs
gave the beggar … my own quarter, so what's so terrible — Mary Barrett
b. : of very poor quality : awful , punk
Italian painting when it is bad, can be really terrible — R.M.Coates
bought a drink of terrible whiskey — Herbert Asbury
Synonyms: see fearful
II. adverb
: to an extreme degree : very , terribly
a terrible brave man — John Buchan
a terrible cold night
III. noun
( -s )
: a terrible person or thing