1 : extremely bad: such as. a : notably unattractive or objectionable terrible behavior. b : of very poor quality a terrible movie. c : strongly repulsive : obnoxious a terrible smell.

What did terrible used to mean?

terrible Add to list Share. The original meaning of terrible was anything that causes terror. That meaning still applies, but mostly this is a word for anything really bad. Terrible used to be reserved for things that caused fear and terror, but today we use the word to describe anything awful, lousy, or just plain bad ...

What is a word for terrible?

1 terrible, awful, appalling, frightful; hideous, grim, ghastly, shocking, revolting, repulsive, horrid, horrendous, horrifying, repellent.