Terribly — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adverb /ˈter-ə-blē/ ter·ri·bly

Meaning & Definition of Terribly

Terribly (adverb)

  1. to an extreme degree, very, extremely
  2. in a terrible way, very badly, poorly, or unpleasantly
  3. very much

Terribly (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to a great degree

    "I'm terribly sorry to bother you"

    similar: achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous (chiefly dialect), mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, very, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly, a lot, as all get-out, good and
    related: absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly, abundantly, plentifully, astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally, excessively, obscenely, overmuch, amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
    opposite: little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
    near: meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Related Entry: Terrible (adjective)

Terrible is a different word from Terribly. The synonyms below are for terrible, not for terribly.

  1. causing fear

    "a terrible nightmare that woke me up"

    similar: alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, shocking, spine-chilling, terrifying
    related: daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, appalling, atrocious, awful, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish
    near: calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening

  2. extreme in degree, power, or effect

    "I have a terrible headache"

    similar: acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, intensive, keen, profound, vehement, vicious, violent
    related: accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened, emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified, stressed, exhaustive, thorough, harsh, rigorous, severe
    opposite: light, moderate, soft
    near: feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down), abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued

  3. extremely disturbing or repellent

    "that is a terrible movie to let your six-year-old watch"

    similar: appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrific
    related: alarming, bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, gut-wrenching, hair-raising, heart-stopping, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, terrifying, abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, abominable, evil, foul, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable, vile, grotesque, ugly, unsightly
    near: agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, cheering, comforting, soothing

  4. extremely unsatisfactory

    "this nonfat ice cream is terrible"

    similar: abysmal, atrocious, awful, dismal, execrable, horrible, lousy, punk, rotten, sucky (slang), wretched
    related: bad, deficient, inferior, off, poor, substandard, wanting, contemptible, miserable, shameful, defective, faulty, flawed, low-grade, mediocre, reprehensible, second-rate, bum, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, abominable, damnable, fiendish, odious, vile
    opposite: bitchin' (slang), great, marvelous, wonderful
    near: choice, excellent, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, premium, prime, superior, adequate, sufficient, acceptable, satisfactory

  5. of low quality

    "manufactures terrible clothes that often tear after a single wash"

    similar: bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheap, cheapjack, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, lousy, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, trumpery, wretched
    related: useless, valueless, worthless, indifferent, lackluster, second-class, brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank, tawdry, seedy, shabby, tacky, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham, supercheap, ultracheap
    opposite: excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notch
    near: elegant, handsome, tasteful, handcrafted, polished, refined

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Terribly

The most common words with a similar meaning to Terribly:

Chiefly dialect: monstrous
achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Terribly

Words with the opposite meaning of Terribly:

little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat

Related Words for Terribly

absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly

Near Antonyms of Terribly

meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Origin & Etymology of Terribly

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Terribly

Frequently Asked Questions about Terribly

What does "Terribly" mean?

"Terribly" means to an extreme degree, very, extremely. As an adverb, it is defined as: to an extreme degree, very, extremely.

What is another word for "Terribly"?

Other words for "Terribly" include achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly and blisteringly. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Terribly" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Terribly"?

There are 124 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Terribly". Common alternatives include achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone and colossally.

What is the opposite of "Terribly"?

Antonyms of "Terribly" include little, negligibly, nominally, slightly and somewhat. Near antonyms include meagerly, scantily, barely and hardly.

How do you use "Terribly" in a sentence?

Examples of "Terribly" in a sentence: "I'm terribly sorry to bother you".

Is "Terribly" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Terribly" is an adverb.

Is "Terribly" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Terribly" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Terribly"?

"Terribly" is pronounced /ˈter-ə-blē/ and divided into syllables as ter·ri·bly.