1
as in excellent
of the very best kind
you've done a terrific job on this report
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a terrific murder that sickened even hard-bitten police officers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of terrific
Our weeklong tester, a 2026 Hybrid TRD Pro 4×4 was, in short, terrific.
—
Marc D. Grasso, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Javier Bardem is terrific as a former enfant terrible filmmaker who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter by putting her in his new movie in The Beloved, which eschews the easy sentimental beats but also ends up short on many satisfying ones.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 27 May 2026
The second-team All-SEC selection has terrific get-off and speed and finishes well.
—Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 27 May 2026
But none of the stories here feels potent or stirring enough on its own to work in tandem with the others, and neither a terrific pop-up appearance by Penélope Cruz nor a daft one by Glenn Close can keep so much frenzied crosscutting from reaching the point of diminishing returns.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrific
Marc D. Grasso, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Javier Bardem is terrific as a former enfant terrible filmmaker who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter by putting her in his new movie in The Beloved, which eschews the easy sentimental beats but also ends up short on many satisfying ones.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 27 May 2026
The second-team All-SEC selection has terrific get-off and speed and finishes well.
—Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 27 May 2026
But none of the stories here feels potent or stirring enough on its own to work in tandem with the others, and neither a terrific pop-up appearance by Penélope Cruz nor a daft one by Glenn Close can keep so much frenzied crosscutting from reaching the point of diminishing returns.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrific
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrific
Adjective
-
Seb Stafford-Bloor’s excellent Transfer Tiers series is moving on to central defenders today.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
The right-shot defenseman has had an excellent tournament for Finland, who advanced to the semifinals with a win over Czechia.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
With Chubb and Phillips still on the mend from gruesome injuries the year prior, the then-rookie was thought to be the heir apparent.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
-
The case has been widely reported by China’s heavily state censored media for the gruesome details of how Xu plotted the murder.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a wonderful small moment midway through the season where Reilly’s lightly bugging out in his dingy apartment, shaking out his limbs at sharp, insectile angles to get comfortable.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
-
All wonderful real-life lessons that can happen in their own neighborhood or local area.—
VaNessa Duplessie,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Not just their physical injuries, horrific in themselves.—
Susan Rona,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
There are also smaller single rooms (great for solo travelers), and larger superior and deluxe rooms, which have additional seating areas.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
-
Came in today, wasn’t feeling great.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
But, following a string of disappointing national-team performances, including failing to qualify for the 1958 World Cup and shocking losses to both the Soviet Union and North Korea at the 1966 edition, the league reinstated the ban.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
-
Somebody Somewhere — a naturalistic, moving three-season performance that culminated in a shocking Emmy win for best supporting actor last year.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Wilson has had his most productive Premier League season by some distance, scoring 10 goals – compared to 12 across three previous top-flight campaigns with Fulham combined — and some of them have been superb, too.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
These red carpet-worthy pieces include dramatically draping diamond necklaces, icy diamond and ruby bracelets, superb emerald and diamond jewels and celestial sapphire and diamond rings.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mayor and Governor are terrible.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
-
From scandals, to corny tactics and platforms, to terrible analysis, this gubernatorial race has been a contest to forget.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrific. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
