Terribly Meaning
/ˈtɛɹ.ɪ.bli/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
advSo as to cause terror or awe.
advVery; extremely.
Sentence Examples
I am terribly busy because the report deadline is near.
Would you mind terribly making me a cup of coffee?
I'm terribly sorry—did I hurt you?
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
He played the piano ____, hitting many wrong notes and making the audience cringe.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I am ____ sorry for the delay in replying to your email, but I have been very busy with several projects this week today.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English terribli. By surface analysis, terrible + -ly.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The mere sensuous impact of trumpet or saxophone, whatever it happened to be playing, was an echo, even though a faint echo, of that excitement and abandon. He wanted to taste, smell, hear: his senses were terribly alive."
— 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 519:
"The parsnip, stilton and chestnut combination may taste good, but it's not terribly decorative. In fact, dull's the word, a lingering adjectival ghost of nut roasts past that I'm keen to banish from the table."
— 2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Jun 2025:
"“A joyride gone terribly wrong,” Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said during a news conference in Steilacoom, which is about 3 miles from the island."
— 2018 August 10, Paige Cornwell, Agueda Pacheco-Flores, “Airplane taken from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has crashed”, in The Seattle Times, archived from the original on 30 Aug 2018:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He played the piano ____, hitting many wrong notes and making the audience cringe.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I am ____ sorry for the delay in replying to your email, but I have been very busy with several projects this week today.