terrific

English

Alternative forms

• terrifick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin terrificus (“causing terror”), from terrere (“to frighten, terrify”) + -ficus, from facere (“to make”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /təˈɹɪfɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɪfɪk

Adjective

terrific (comparative more terrific, superlative most terrific)

1. (colloquial) Frighteningly good.

   I say! She's a terrific tennis player.

2. (colloquial) Astounding or awesome.

   The car came round the bend at a terrific speed.

3. (dated) Terrifying; causing terror.

   The lightning was followed by a terrific clap of thunder.

   • 1860, Charles Dickens, Captain Murderer

     He made love in a coach and six, and married in a coach and twelve, and all his horses were milk-white horses with one red spot on the back which he caused to be hidden by the harness. For, the spot would come there, though every horse was milk-white when Captain Murderer bought him. And the spot was young bride's blood. (To this terrific point I am indebted for my first personal experience of a shudder and cold beads on the forehead.)

4. Frightful or very unpleasant.

   I've got a terrific hangover this morning.

5. (colloquial) Extraordinarily great or intense.

   terrific speed

Synonyms

• brilliant
• horrific

Related terms

• terrible
• terrify
• terrifying
• terror
• terrorist
• terrorize

Translations

frighteningly good

• Dutch: geweldig (nl)
• Finnish: suurenmoinen (fi)
• French: formidable (fr), fantastique (fr)
• German: fantastisch (de), hervorragend (de), supertoll, wahnsinnig (de), irre (de), sagenhaft (de), riesig (de), großartig (de), grandios (de)
• Greek: τρομερός (el) m (tromerós), φοβερός (el) m (foverós), φανταστικός (el) m (fantastikós)
• Hungarian: fantasztikus (hu)
• Italian: eccezionale (it), stupendo (it)

• Polish: świetny (pl) m, wspaniały (pl) m
• Portuguese: formidável (pt), estupendo (pt), fantástico (pt)
• Russian: потряса́ющий (ru) (potrjasájuščij)
• Spanish: estupendo (es)
• Turkish: korkunç (tr), dehşet (tr), müthiş (tr)

great or intense

• Dutch: geweldig (nl), verschrikkelijk (nl)
• Finnish: hurja (fi)
• German: sagenhaft (de), irre (de), rasant (de), fulminant (de), gewaltig (de)

• Hungarian: hatalmas (hu)
• Maori: taputapu kē (colloquial), tūkuru (colloquial)

terrifying

• Dutch: verschrikkelijk (nl), vreselijk (nl), angstaanjagend (nl)
• Finnish: kamala (fi)

• German: fürchterlich (de), furchtbar (de), schrecklich (de), schreckeinjagend, grauenvoll (de)

frightful or very unpleasant

• Dutch: vreselijk (nl), verschrikkelijk (nl)
• Finnish: hirveä (fi)

• German: grauenhaft (de), fürchterlich (de), furchtbar (de), schrecklich (de)

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• ferritic