terrible

English

Etymology

From French, from Latin terribilis (“frightful”), from terrere (“to frighten”). Compare terror, deter.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈtɛ.ɹə.bl̩/, ˈtɛ.ɹɪ.bl̩/; SAMPA: /"tE.r@.bl=/, /"tE.rI.bl=/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

terrible (comparative more terrible, superlative most terrible)

1. Dreadful; causing alarm and fear.

   The witch gave him a terrible curse.

2. formidable, powerful.
   • 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

     ...and there was even a party of the younger men who pretended to admire him, calling him a "true sea-dog," and "real old salt," and such-like names, and saying there was the sort of man that made England terrible at sea.

3. Intense; extreme in degree or extent.

   He paid a terrible price for his life of drinking.

4. Unpleasant; disagreeable.

   The food was terrible, but it was free.

5. Very bad; lousy.

   Whatever he thinks, he is a terrible driver.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:frightening

Related terms

• terrific
• terrify
• terrifying
• terror
• terrorist
• terrorize

Translations

dreadful; causing alarm or fear

Arabic: فظيع (faẓīʻ) Chinese: 可怕 (kěpà), 夠嗆, 够呛 (gòuqiàng) Dutch: afschuwelijk (nl) Finnish: pelottava (fi), kamala (fi), kauhea (fi), hirveä (fi), hirvittävä (fi) French: terrible (fr) m. and f., horrible (fr) m. and f. Hungarian: borzasztó (hu), rettenetes (hu), szörnyű (hu) Japanese: 恐ろしい (おそろしい, osoroshii), 猛烈な (もうれつな, mōretsu-na), ひどい (hidoi) Latvian: šausmīgs (lv)

Navajo: hóyééʼ Norwegian: fryktelig (no), forferdelig (no) Polish: straszny (pl) m., przerażający (pl) m. Russian: ужасный (ru) (užásnyj) Scots: bowkin Scottish Gaelic: sgriosail (gd) Turkish: korkunç (tr)

most formidable

Arabic: مرعب (múrʻib) Armenian: ահեղ (hy) (aheġ) Chinese: 厲害, 利害 / 厉害, 利害 (lìhai) Finnish: mahtava (fi), kauhistuttava (fi)

French: terrible (fr) m. and f. Norwegian: fryktelig (no), forferdelig (no) Russian: грозный (ru) (gróznyj) Turkish: müthiş (tr)

intense; extreme in degree or extent

Arabic: مرعب (múrʻib) Finnish: kamala (fi), kauhea (fi), hirveä (fi), hirvittävä (fi) Norwegian: fryktelig (no), forferdelig (no)

Polish: straszny (pl) m. Russian: ужасный (ru) (užásnyj) Turkish: korkunç (tr), fahiş (tr)

unpleasant

Arabic: فظيع (faẓīʻ) Chinese: 惡心, 恶心 (ěxin) Finnish: kamala (fi), kauhea (fi), hirveä (fi), hirvittävä (fi) Norwegian: ubehagelig (no)

Polish: okropny (pl) m. Russian: ужасный (ru) (užásnyj) Scottish Gaelic: sgriosail (gd) Turkish: korkunç (tr), felaket (tr)

very bad

Arabic: فظيع (faẓīʕ) Armenian: please add this translation if you can Esperanto: aĉa (eo) Finnish: kamala (fi), kauhea (fi), hirveä (fi), hirvittävä (fi) French: terrible (fr) m. and f. German: please add this translation if you can Hebrew: please add this translation if you can Hindi: please add this translation if you can Hungarian: rémes (hu)

Japanese: please add this translation if you can Korean: please add this translation if you can Norwegian: fryktelig (no), forferdelig (no) Polish: okropny (pl) m., kiepski (pl) m. Russian: ужасный (ru) (užásnyj) Scottish Gaelic: sgriosail (gd) Swahili: please add this translation if you can Thai: แย่ (th) (yâe), ไม่ดีเลย (th) (mâi dee loie) Turkish: korkunç (tr), berbat (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Serbo-Croatian: ȕžāsan (hr), strášan (hr), grȏzan (hr) Dutch: vreselijk (nl) French: terrible (fr) German: furchtbar (de), schrecklich (de) Hindi: भयानक (bhayaanak); डरावना (Daraavana) / डरावनी (Daraavani) / डरावने (Daraavane) Italian: terribile (it) Korean: 무시무시한 (musimusihan) Latin: atrox (la) Latvian: šausmīgs (lv), briesmīgs (lv)

Lithuanian: baisus (lt) Marathi: (मराठी) भयानक (bhayaanak); भीतीदायक (bhitidaayak) Portuguese: terrível (pt) Scottish Gaelic: oillteil, uabhasach, grod Serbo-Croatian: ужаснo (sr), užasno Spanish: terrible (es) Swedish: hemsk (sv) (1-5), fruktansvärd (sv) (1-5), avskyvärd (sv) (4)

External links

• terrible in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• terrible in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: date · summer · simply · #856: terrible · Tom · author · authority

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tɛ.ʁibl/, SAMPA: /tE.Ribl/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

terrible (epicene, plural terribles)

1. (all senses) terrible
   • 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche^{fr.Wikisource}, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Chapter II:

     Mais à peine se vit-il en chemin qu’une pensée terrible l’assaillit, et telle, que peu s’en fallut qu’elle ne lui fît abandonner l’entreprise commencée.

     But scarcely did he see himself on the road when a terrible thought assaulted him, and such that little was missing to make him abandon the enterprise he had started.

Related terms

• terreur
• terriblement
• terrifier

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Spanish

Adjective

terrible m. and f. (plural terribles)

1. terrible (clarification of this Spanish definition is being sought)

Related terms

• terriblemente
• terribilísimo
• terror