Standard Lemma guide

terrific

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Midwestern-US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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  • rhymes with -ɪfɪk
  • CMU ARPABET: T ER0 IH1 F IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Causing terror; terrifying.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: affreux, alarming, spine-tingling, appalling, awful, eldritch, buggish, butt-clenching, buttock-clenching, dismayful, dreadful, fearful, flaysome, flesh-crawling, formidable, freaky, frightening, frightensome, frightful, ghastly, ghostly, grisly, hair-curling, hair-raising, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, horripilating, pulse-pounding, scaring, scary, shocking, skin-crawling, terrible, terrifying, terrorsome

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Very strong or intense; excessive, tremendous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The car came round the bend at a terrific speed.
  • I've got a terrific hangover this morning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Extremely good; excellent, amazing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I say! She's a terrific tennis player.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

causing extreme terror

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a terrifying wail

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: terrifying

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

very great or intense

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a terrific noise
  • a terrific thunderstorm storm
  • fought a terrific battle

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

extraordinarily good or great ; used especially as intensifiers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a fantastic trip to the Orient
  • the film was fantastic!
  • a howling success
  • a marvelous collection of rare books
  • had a rattling conversation about politics
  • a tremendous achievement

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fantastic, grand, howling(a), marvelous, marvellous, rattling(a), tremendous, wonderful, wondrous

Antonyms: none provided

History

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 *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *θakos Proto-Italic *-fakos Latin -ficus Latin terrificusder. French terrifiqueder. English terrific From French terrifique, and its source, Latin terrificus (“terrifying”), from terrēre (“to frighten, terrify”) + -ficus, related to facere (“to make”). By surface analysis, terrify + -ic. The sense of excellent or amazing is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of terrifying. Compare similar semantic development in sick and wicked.

Across languages

Translations

59 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: ужасен (užasen) — terrifying
  • Bulgarian: страшен (strašen) — terrifying
  • Dutch: verschrikkelijk — terrifying
  • Dutch: vreselijk — terrifying
  • Dutch: angstaanjagend — terrifying
  • Esperanto: terura — terrifying
  • Finnish: kamala — terrifying
  • French: terrifiant — terrifying
  • German: fürchterlich — terrifying
  • German: furchtbar — terrifying
  • German: schrecklich — terrifying
  • German: schreckeinjagend — terrifying
  • German: grauenvoll — terrifying
  • Hungarian: borzasztó — terrifying
  • Dutch: geweldig — great or intense
  • Dutch: verschrikkelijk — great or intense
  • Esperanto: ega — great or intense
  • Finnish: hurja — great or intense
  • German: sagenhaft — great or intense
  • German: irre — great or intense
  • German: rasant — great or intense
  • German: fulminant — great or intense
  • German: gewaltig — great or intense
  • Hungarian: hatalmas — great or intense
  • Māori: taputapu kē — great or intense
  • Māori: tūkuru — great or intense
  • Portuguese: tremendo — great or intense
  • Dutch: geweldig — extremely good
  • Esperanto: bonega — extremely good
  • Finnish: suurenmoinen — extremely good
  • French: formidable — extremely good
  • French: fantastique — extremely good
  • German: fantastisch — extremely good
  • German: hervorragend — extremely good
  • German: supertoll — extremely good
  • German: wahnsinnig — extremely good
  • German: irre — extremely good
  • German: sagenhaft — extremely good
  • German: riesig — extremely good
  • German: großartig — extremely good
  • German: grandios — extremely good
  • Greek: τρομερός (tromerós) — extremely good
  • Greek: φοβερός (foverós) — extremely good
  • Greek: φανταστικός (fantastikós) — extremely good
  • Hungarian: fantasztikus — extremely good
  • Hungarian: szédületes — extremely good
  • Irish: fíormhaith — extremely good
  • Italian: eccezionale — extremely good
  • Italian: stupendo — extremely good
  • Polish: świetny — extremely good
  • Polish: wspaniały — extremely good
  • Portuguese: formidável — extremely good
  • Portuguese: estupendo — extremely good
  • Portuguese: fantástico — extremely good
  • Russian: потряса́ющий (potrjasájuščij) — extremely good
  • Spanish: estupendo — extremely good
  • Turkish: korkunç — extremely good
  • Turkish: dehşet — extremely good
  • Turkish: müthiş — extremely good