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terrible

terrible, awful

adjective teh-REE-bluh Less Common
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Also means

tremendous (informal intensifier)

Usage Note

Terrible most commonly means terrible or dreadful, but in informal spoken French it can paradoxically mean 'great' or 'tremendous' — c'est pas terrible means 'it's not great'. This colloquial reversal catches many learners off guard. The word is the same for masculine and feminine.

Examples

"Il fait un bruit terrible."

Natural Translation

He makes a terrible noise.

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