Is There Such a Word as Terrific?

1 : excellent That's a terrific idea. 2 : very unusual : extraordinary The car was going at terrific speed.

Is terrific an old fashioned word?

It was first recorded in English in 1653, the OED says, and still has its original meaning: “causing horror, horrifying.” But “terrific” is a different story. This adjective originally meant “causing terror, terrifying; terrible, frightful; stirring, awe-inspiring; sublime.”

How do you use terrific?

Terrific sentence example
  1. War broke out in 1665, and was marked by a series of terrific battles. ...
  2. If nothing else, Wynn was going to make a terrific friend. ...
  3. " Terrific !" ...
  4. They left Plymouth on the Toth of June, but owing to a terrific storm it was not till the 25th that they met at the rendezvous.
James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.