terribile

Terribile is an Italian adjective meaning terrible, dreadful, or formidable. It is used to describe events, situations, people, or sensations, and appears across formal and informal registers. In the singular it has the same form for masculine and feminine (terribile); in the plural it becomes terribili for both genders, agreeing with the noun.

Etymology and cognates: Terribile derives from Latin terribilis, from terrere “to frighten.” It shares common roots with related words in other Romance languages and with English “terrible,” French “terrible,” and Spanish “terrible.”

Usage and nuances: The word commonly precedes the noun it modifies (un fatto terribile, una notizia terribile) and is used to express strong negation or severity. It can also appear in adverbial form as terribilmente to intensify adjectives or verbs (È terribilmente difficile; La situazione è terribilmente complicata). In literary or historical contexts it can function as a nominal epithet, e.g., “il Terribile,” to refer to a formidable person or figure, though this usage is stylistic and context-dependent. Exclamations like “Che terribile!” are idiomatic but informal.

Tone and register: Terribile carries a strong negative connotation, signaling horror, severity, or extreme magnitude. While widely used in contemporary language, it remains a high-intensity term and can be perceived as emphatic or dramatic in formal writing.

Synonyms and related terms: orribile, tremendo, spaventoso, terrificante, raccapricciante.