adj.
Pronunciation: ' ter- ə -b ə l, ' te-r ə -
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin terribilis, from terr ē re to frighten ― more at TERROR
Date: 15th century
1 a : exciting extreme alarm or intense fear : TERRIFYING b : formidable in nature : AWESOME <a terrible responsibility> c : DIFFICULT <in a terrible bind>
2 : EXTREME , GREAT <a terrible disappointment>
3 : extremely bad: as a : strongly repulsive : OBNOXIOUS <a terrible smell> b : notably unattractive or objectionable < terrible behavior> c : of very poor quality <a terrible movie>
– ter · ri · ble · ness noun
– ter · ri · bly \ -bl ē \ adverb