Search blog

Differences of Terrible, Terrified and Terrific in English

Terrible, Terrified and Terrific are all adjectives with the common prefix "Terri", but these three words have completely different usage. In this article, PREP will help you understand the definitions, words/phrases associated with them, and the differences between Terrible, Terrified and Terrific. Read now!

Differences of 3 words Terrible, Terrified and Terrific

I. What is Terrible?
II. What is Terrified?
III. What is Terrific?
IV. Differences of Terrible, Terrified and Terrific
V. Exercise to differentiate Terrible, Terrified and Terrific
VI. Get Ready to Ace the IELTS Exam

I. What is Terrible?

According to the Cambridge and Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Terrible is pronounced as /ˈter.ə.bəl/. Terrible acts as an adjective, meaning:

Very unpleasant; making you feel very unhappy, upset, or frightened. For example: The weather was terrible.
Very bad at doing something. For example: Your driving is terrible!
Causing great harm or injury; very serious. For example: He had suffered terrible injuries.

Words/phrases associated with Terrible:

Words/phrases associated with Terrible	Example
Terrible twins	In my class, John and Linda are terrible twins.
Enfant terrible	In the 70s Mr.Clo was the enfant terrible of the theater.
A terrible accident	Mr.Jackson has had a terrible accident.
A terrible headache	I have a terrible headache.
A terrible state	I was withdrawing from drugs and in a terrible state.

Some synonyms for Terrible:

Synonym for Terrible	Pronunciation	Example
Abominable	/əˈbɑː.mə.nə.bəl/	The service at the restaurant was abominable.
Abysmal	/əˈbɪz.məl/	The team's performance in the game was abysmal.
Atrocious	/əˈtroʊ.ʃəs/	The conditions in the refugee camp were atrocious.
Awful	/ˈɑː.fəl/	The weather was awful.
Dire	/daɪr/	The town faced dire economic conditions.
Dreadful	/ˈdred.fəl/	The traffic on the highway was dreadful.
Horrendous	/həˈren.dəs/	The noise from the construction site was horrendous.
Horrible	/ˈhɔːr.ə.bəl/	The smell from the garbage bin was horrible.
Frightful	/ˈfraɪt.fəl/	The accident scene was frightful.
Grim	/ɡrɪm/	The economic forecast for next year is grim.

II. What is Terrified?

According to the Cambridge and Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Terrified is pronounced as /ˈter.ə.faɪd/. Terrified acts as an adjective, meaning: very frightened. For example:

Peter huddled in the corner like a terrified child.
I'm terrified of the dark.

Structure of Terrified:

Structure of Terrified	Example
Be terrified of (doing) somebody/ something	My little brother is disenchanted of spiders.
Be terrified at something	Anna was disenchanted at the thought of being alone.
Be terrified (that…)	Rovert was disenchanted (that) he would fall.
Be frightened/ scared/ terrified out of your wits (Idiom)	The latest news has scared the wits out of investors.

III. What is Terrific?

According to the Cambridge and Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, Terrific is pronounced as/təˈrɪf.ɪk/. Terrific acts as an adjective, meaning: excellent; wonderful/ very large; very great. For example:

The police car drove past at a terrific speed.
Kate looks absolutely terrific tonight.

Synonyms for Terrific:

Synonyms for Terrific	Pronunciation	Example
Excellent	/ˈek.səl.ənt/	Jerry received an excellent grade on her research paper.
Wonderful	/ˈwʌn.dɚ.fəl/	Spending the weekend at the beach with my family was a wonderful experience.
Fabulous	/ˈfæb.jə.ləs/	The fashion show featured fabulous designs.
Fantastic	/fænˈtæs.tɪk/	The movie we watched last night had a fantastic plot.
Awesome	/ˈɑː.səm/	Climbing to the mountain was an awesome adventure.
Brilliant	/ˈbrɪl.jənt/	The scientist made a brilliant discovery.
Amazing	/əˈmeɪ.zɪŋ/	The magician's tricks were so amazing.
Splendid	/ˈsplen.dɪd/	The ballroom was decorated in a splendid manner.
Magnificent	/mæɡˈnɪf.ə.sənt/	The view from the mountaintop was absolutely magnificent.
Tremendous	/trɪˈmen.dəs/	The team achieved tremendous success.

IV. Differences of Terrible, Terrified and Terrific

Let's explore the differences between Terrible, Terrified and Terrific right below with PREP!

	Terrible	Terrified	Terrific
Meaning	Very unpleasant; making you feel very unhappy, upset, or frightened	Very frightened	Excellent; wonderful/ very large; very great
Pronunciation	/ˈter.ə.bəl/	/ˈter.ə.faɪd/	/təˈrɪf.ɪk/
Example	Overspeeding is terrible.	I'm terrified of traffic accidents.	My brother always drives at a terrific speed.

V. Exercise to differentiate Terrible, Terrified and Terrific

To distinguish between Terrible, Terrified and Terrific, please complete the exercise below!

Exercise: Choose the correct answer: Terrible, Terrific or Terrified

The weather turned _______, with heavy rain.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
The accident caused _______ damage to the car.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
The sudden loud noise made the hikers feel _______.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
The horror movie was so intense that it left the audience _______.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
The team put in a _______ effort and won the championship game.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
Despite facing challenges, the project had a _______ outcome.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
Anna felt _______ when walking alone in the dark alley.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
The _______ news of the natural disaster left the community in shock.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
Meeting my favorite author in person was a _______ experience.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific
My baby was _______ of spiders.
1. Terrible
2. Terrified
3. Terrific

Answer:

VI. Get Ready to Ace the IELTS Exam

PREP hopes that through this article, you have grasped the definitions, usages, and differentiation of Terrible, Terrified, and Terrific. If you want to ace the IELTS exam, PREP’s smart preparation tools and expert guidance will set you up for success

👉 IELTS online course: Join now !

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.