terribly
adverb
ter·ri·bly
ˈter-ə-blē 
ˈte-rə-
1
: to an extreme degree : very : extremely
became terribly ill
had a terribly nice time
got terribly excited
I had tried a little radio before the war and hadn't been terribly impressed with it at the time.—
Walter Cronkite
Walter CronkiteHe and Jimmy got into a quarrel about the girl's being fired, and it got terribly bitter.—Virginia Foster Durr
Virginia Foster Durr2
: in a terrible way : very badly, poorly, or unpleasantly
behaving terribly
They were treated terribly.
This can be regarded as a somewhat progressive attitude because it is true that women were terribly abused in the Roman world.—Norman F. Cantor
Norman F. CantorAnd then the next year I played terribly and finished close to last.—Gene Littler
Gene Littler3
: very much
I miss you terribly.
Examples of terribly in a Sentence
I'm terribly sorry to bother you
Recent Examples on the Web
He will be missed terribly by his family and friends.
—Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
Ahead, find the gray hair toners industry insiders recommend to keep hair soft, manageable, and, indeed, terribly chic.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
Shot with a particularly daring eye with an inflection of dark humor and a solid soundtrack, Fresh takes a premise that could be terribly unpleasant and turns it into a slick piece of popcorn entertainment.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
The dollars spent by the tourists visiting Cuba have likely gone to the military’s coffers — but the big bet went terribly wrong for the Cuban population.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terribly
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Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
Ahead, find the gray hair toners industry insiders recommend to keep hair soft, manageable, and, indeed, terribly chic.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
Shot with a particularly daring eye with an inflection of dark humor and a solid soundtrack, Fresh takes a premise that could be terribly unpleasant and turns it into a slick piece of popcorn entertainment.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
The dollars spent by the tourists visiting Cuba have likely gone to the military’s coffers — but the big bet went terribly wrong for the Cuban population.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terribly
Cite this Entry
“Terribly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terribly. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
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