terribly
/ˈterəbli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈterəbli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈter-ə-blē ˈte-rə-/ (ame, mw)
terribly — adverb
1. used before adjectives, adverbs, or some verbs to add strong emphasis — often, b
used before adjectives, adverbs, or some verbs to add strong emphasis — often, but not always, with a personal feeling of concern, regret, or sympathy — for example, telling someone you are terribly sorry for losing their book, describing a terribly cold winter, or feeling terribly worried about a friend who has not come home.
Maja is terribly worried about her grandmother, who has been in hospital since Monday.
terribly + worried (emotion adjective)
Brandon was terribly sorry when he accidentally broke his friend's new phone.
terribly sorry — a fixed phrase for a strong apology
Hiro thinks it is terribly important to recycle every piece of plastic at home.
Winter in Harbin was terribly cold, so Walid stayed inside for most of his visit.
- extremely
more formal and neutral; the go-to choice in academic writing
- very
less emotional and weaker in force; neutral across all registers
- awfully
similar in intensity and emotional tone; slightly more informal in American English
- dreadfully
more old-fashioned British English; same range but less common today
文法句型
terribly + adjective
terribly + adverb
terribly + past participle
用法筆記
Strongly associated with emotional or evaluative adjectives: 'sorry', 'worried', 'important', 'sad', 'kind', 'cold', 'expensive'. Sounds more personal and conversational than 'extremely'. In formal academic or business writing, prefer 'extremely' or 'very much'. The adverb sits before the adjective it modifies ('terribly sorry'), never after it. With positive adjectives ('good', 'nice', 'beautiful'), 'extremely' sounds more natural than 'terribly'.
2. in a way that is extremely bad or unskilled, causing a very negative reaction or
in a way that is extremely bad or unskilled, causing a very negative reaction or a harmful result — for example, failing an exam so completely that there is no chance of passing, or performing a song with so many mistakes that the audience feels embarrassed for you.
The band played terribly at the school concert, hitting half the notes wrong.
verb + terribly (manner)
Reuben treated his roommate terribly during the first week, never helping with the dishes.
treated someone terribly — pattern with a person as object
The first attempt at repairing the roof went terribly, and rain poured through the holes.
The students' first science experiment ended terribly when the beaker shattered across the lab floor.
- dreadfully
very similar in meaning; slightly more old-fashioned and common in British English
- awfully
overlaps with both senses of 'terribly'; can also be an intensifier
- perfectly
the opposite of doing something badly or unskilfully
- beautifully
opposite of performing or presenting something poorly
文法句型
verb + terribly
用法筆記
Position after the main verb ('played terribly', 'treated him terribly'), not before it. Manner adverbs like this one rarely sit between the subject and the verb in English — 'He terribly failed the exam' sounds unnatural. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense answers 'in what manner?', whereas sense 1 answers 'to what degree?' and sits before the adjective or verb it modifies.