terribly
Definition
Adverb 1. Extremely badly or poorly: In a manner that is very bad, unpleasant, or of low quality. 2. Very; extremely: Used as an intensifier to mean "to a great degree."
Usage and Examples
Meaning 1 (Extremely badly):
- The team played terribly and lost the match.
- He felt terribly after hearing the sad news. (Here, it means "very upset.")
- The car was terribly damaged in the accident.
Meaning 2 (Very; extremely - used as an intensifier):
- She is terribly clever.
- We are terribly grateful for your help.
- It's terribly important to arrive on time.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- When used as an intensifier (Meaning 2), terribly is common in informal and spoken English to add strong emphasis. It is often used with positive adjectives (e.g., ) as well as negative ones (e.g., ).
- The phrase "I'm terribly sorry" is a very common and polite way to apologize strongly.
Variants and Related Words
- Terrible (adjective): Causing or likely to cause terror; extremely bad or serious.
- We had a terrible storm last night.
- He has a terrible temper.
- Terrific (adjective): This word can mean "of great size, amount, or intensity" (similar to ) but in modern usage, it more commonly means "excellent" or "very good."
- That's a terrific idea!
Synonyms
- For Meaning 1 (badly): awfully, dreadfully, horribly, atrociously, abysmally.
- For Meaning 2 (very): awfully, dreadfully, extremely, incredibly, exceptionally.
Common Collocations and Phrases
- Terribly sorry: Very sorry.
- I'm terribly sorry for the mistake.
- Terribly wrong: Very incorrect or badly mistaken.
- Something went terribly wrong with the experiment.
- Terribly important: Extremely important.
- Terribly afraid/frightened: Very afraid.
Adverb
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in a terrible manner
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she sings terribly
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used as intensifiers
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terribly interesting
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I'm awful sorry
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