terrible
causing fear or dread or terror
How often you will meet it
Rank 732 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 25,558 times across 155,370 chapters — 0.012% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
adjective
- causing fear or dread or terror also: awful, dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful the awful waran awful risk
- exceptionally bad or displeasing also: atrocious, abominable, awful, dreadful, painful, unspeakable atrocious tasteabominable workmanship
- intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality also: severe, wicked severe paina severe case of flu
- extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact also: frightful, awful, tremendous in a frightful hurryspent a frightful amount of money
terrible in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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It is a terrible snowy day still.
Christian's Mistake · Dinah Maria Mulock Craik · Chapter 1
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The look he threw upon me was little short of terrible.
The Betrayal · E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim · Chapter 1
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I was but a fresh-water sailor and therefore it seemed more terrible.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures · Daniel Defoe · Chapter 1
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Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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These rovings end, Their thirst is slaked in larger dearth: The yearning infinite recoils, For terrible is earth.
John Marr and Other Poems · Herman Melville · Chapter 1