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
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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
This winter, a bigger group of players, led by captain Aaron Judge, returned even earlier with thoughts of revenge following a terrible 4-1 loss in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, several of whom spent the offseason talking smack about them.
—
Brendan Kuty, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
There have been plenty of terrible Oscar hosts over the years but this was a car crash that could easily have been avoided.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025
Secrets bob to the surface like drowning victims from the deep until nobody — not even the reader — can easily separate the terrible truth from even more terrible fictions.
—M.l. Rio, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin surely had an inkling that his invasion would probably have a terrible impact on Russia's future Olympic aspirations, said Mietek Boduszyński, who teaches U.S. foreign policy at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Brendan Kuty, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
There have been plenty of terrible Oscar hosts over the years but this was a car crash that could easily have been avoided.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025
Secrets bob to the surface like drowning victims from the deep until nobody — not even the reader — can easily separate the terrible truth from even more terrible fictions.
—M.l. Rio, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin surely had an inkling that his invasion would probably have a terrible impact on Russia's future Olympic aspirations, said Mietek Boduszyński, who teaches U.S. foreign policy at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrible
Adjective
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Some compare Sanders to Geno Smith — not flattering, but not horrible.—
Troy Renck,
Orlando Sentinel,
2 Mar. 2025
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Everybody's going to be thrown, according to , into all these horrible situations.—
Hugh Cameron,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The intense gravitational pull from the black hole rips the two stars apart, capturing one star into a close orbit around it, notes the center.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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This film transitions between moments of intense governmental and political drama, and moments of sympathetic, emotional anguish with the Hernandez family.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The horrific apparent overdose came a day after a drug-dealing operator of a Bronx day care was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the death of a toddler exposed to fentanyl and the overdoses of three other children who survived.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2025
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Read Next California Toddler disfigured by burns in ‘horrific’ child endangerment case in CA.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For a large part, the Heat’s supporting pieces have been awful this season.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
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Hollywood continued to celebrate the fearless first responders who worked to save lives and property during the awful Los Angeles wildfires last month.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And another research team, using data from 2015 to 2022, observed in an article available in Energy Research and Social Science that poor income distribution correlates with social unrest when fossil fuel subsidies are removed.—
Aldo Flores-Quiroga,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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And poor work conditions can hurt morale in any field.—
Jeff Weiner,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The harsh environment, mostly devoid of human presence, feels almost terrifying in its vastness—but that feeling quickly gives way to awe and excitement.—
Dobrina Zhekova,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2025
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The terrifying incident unfolded Saturday morning, shortly after the Boeing 767 lifted off from its runway at Newark Liberty Airport.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The tool is designed for people who do intensive knowledge work in areas like finance, science, policy, and engineering.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Because disability claims are done on paper and labor intensive, technology is not enough to solve the problem.—
Jenna McLaughlin,
NPR,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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On September 2, 1885, in one of the most gruesome episodes of racial terror in American history, a group of white miners killed at least twenty-eight Chinese residents in Rock Springs and burned down the town’s Chinese quarter.—
Michael Luo,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
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The Fallen Sun stands out not just as a cop procedural, but also as a thriller that never shys away from the gruesome nature of the killer’s crime spree.—
Sezin Koehler,
EW.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrible. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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