different between terrible vs wicked
terrible
English
Etymology
From Middle English terrible, from Old French, from Latin terribilis (“frightful”), from terre? (“I frighten, terrify, alarm; I deter by terror, scare (away)”). Compare terror, deter.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?t?.??.bl?/, /?t?.??.bl?/
- Homophone: tearable, in some accents
Adjective
terrible (comparative terribler or more terrible, superlative terriblest or most terrible)
- Dreadful; causing terror, alarm and fear; awesome
- Formidable, powerful.
- 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- […] and there was even a party of the younger men who pretended to admire him, calling him a "true sea-dog," and "real old salt," and such-like names, and saying there was the sort of man that made England terrible at sea.
- 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- Intense; extreme in degree or extent.
- Unpleasant; disagreeable.
- Very bad; lousy.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:frightening
Antonyms
- (very bad): excellent
Adverb
terrible (comparative more terrible, superlative most terrible)
- (colloquial, dialect) In a terrible way; to a terrible extent; terribly; awfully.
Related terms
Translations
Further reading
- terrible in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- terrible in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- treblier
Catalan
Pronunciation
- (Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /t??ri.bl?/
- (Valencian) IPA(key): /te?ri.ble/
Adjective
terrible (masculine and feminine plural terribles)
- terrible (causing fear)
- terrible (formidable, intense)
French
Etymology
From Latin terribilis
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /t?.?ibl/
Adjective
terrible (plural terribles)
- (all senses) terrible
- (colloquial) great, excellent
Derived terms
- enfant terrible
Related terms
- terreur
- terriblement
- terrifier
Further reading
- “terrible” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Spanish
Etymology
From Latin terribilis. Cognate with English terrible.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /te?rible/, [t?e?ri.??le]
- Hyphenation: te?rri?ble
Adjective
terrible (plural terribles)
- terrible, awful, horrible (very bad)
- appalling (shocking, causing consternation)
- terrific (very great or intense)
Derived terms
- terribilísimo
- terriblemente
Related terms
- terror
Further reading
- “terrible” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
terrible From the web:
- what terrible thing it was
- what terrible mean
- when terrible things happen
- when something terrible happens
- what is the terrible awful thing in the help
wicked
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of Middle English wicke, wikke (“morally perverse, evil, wicked”). Possibly from an adjectival use of Old English wi??a (“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-Germanic *wikkô (“necromancer, sorcerer”), though the phonology makes this theory difficult to explain.
Pronunciation
- enPR: w?k??d, IPA(key): /?w?k?d/
Adjective
wicked (comparative wickeder or more wicked, superlative wickedest or most wicked)
- Evil or mischievous by nature.
- Synonyms: evil, immoral, malevolent, malicious, nefarious, twisted, villainous; see also Thesaurus:evil
- (slang) Excellent; awesome; masterful.
- Synonyms: awesome, bad, cool, dope, excellent, far out, groovy, hot, rad; see also Thesaurus:excellent
Usage notes
Use of "wicked" as an adjective rather than an adverb is considered an error in the Boston dialect. However, that is not necessarily the case in other New England dialects.
Derived terms
- wickedly
- wickedness
- wicked tongue
Translations
Adverb
wicked (not comparable)
- (slang, New England, Britain) Very, extremely.
- Synonyms: hella, helluv (both Californian/regional, and both potentially considered mildly vulgar)
Translations
Etymology 2
See wick.
Pronunciation
- enPR: w?kt, IPA(key): /w?kt/
Verb
wicked
- simple past tense and past participle of wick
Adjective
wicked (not comparable)
- Having a wick.
Derived terms
- multiwicked
Etymology 3
See wick.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?w?k?d/
Adjective
wicked
- (Britain, dialect, obsolete) Active; brisk.
- (Britain, dialect, chiefly Yorkshire) Infested with maggots.
- Alternative form of wick, as applying to inanimate objects only.
References
Middle English
Adjective
wicked
- Alternative form of wikked
wicked From the web:
- what wicked webs we weave
- what wicked means
- what wicked character are you
- what wicked game you play
- what wicked thing to do
- what wicked tuna star died
- what wickedness was going on in nineveh
- what wicked and disassembling glass of mine
you may also like
- terrible vs wicked
- coiling vs twist
- debility vs sickness
- mysterious vs transcendental
- dope vs nong
- lure vs enticement
- perseverance vs power
- moaning vs pathetic
- nation vs commonwealth
- keeping vs guardianship
- impermanent vs fading
- dark vs duskiness
- notorious vs evil
- push vs thump
- border vs point
- perception vs greatness
- excited vs rousing
- distasteful vs sinful
- demeanour vs features
- ardent vs hot