terrible

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Dreadful; causing terror, alarm and fear; awesome

   The witch laid a terrible curse on him.

2. 2
   adj

   Formidable, powerful.

   […]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. 3
   adj

   Intense; extreme in degree or extent.

   He paid a terrible price for his life of drinking.

4. 4
   adj

   Very unpleasant; disagreeable.

   The food was terrible, but it was free.

5. 5
   adj

   Very bad; lousy.

   Whatever he thinks, he is a terrible driver.

6. 6
   adj

   Prone to a particular temptation.

   He's a terrible man for beer.

7. 7
   adv

   In a terrible way; to a terrible extent; terribly; awfully.

   ‘Oh, terrible bad, sir, terrible deep the snow is,’ said the hedgehog.

8. 8
   adj

   causing fear or dread or terror

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tres- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti Proto-Italic *trozeō Latin terreō Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin terribilisbor. Old French terriblebor. Middle English terrible English terrible Inherited from Middle English terrible, from Old French terrible, from Latin terribilis (“frightful”), from terreō (“to frighten, terrify, alarm; to deter by terror, scare (away)”). Compare terror, deter. By surface analysis, terror + -ible.