different between terrible vs painful
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
painful
English
Alternative forms
- painfull (archaic)
Etymology
From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain +? -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?pe?n.f?l/
Adjective
painful (comparative painfuller or more painful, superlative painfullest or most painful)
- Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental. [from 14th c.]
- Afflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person). [from 15th c.]
- Requiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious. [from 15th c.]
- (now rare) Painstaking; careful; industrious. [from 16th c.]
- 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, p. 142:
- The men bestow their times in fishing, hunting, warres, and such manlike exercises, scorning to be seene in any woman-like exercise, which is the cause that the women be very painefull, and the men often idle.
- 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, Book 2, Ch. 2
- For twenty generations, here was the earthly arena where painful living men worked out their life-wrestle
- 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, p. 142:
- (informal) Very bad, poor.
- His violin playing is painful.
Synonyms
- (full of pain): doleful, sorrowful, smartful, irksome, annoying
- (requiring labor or toil): laborious, exerting
Antonyms
- (causing pain): painless, painfree
Derived terms
- painfully
- painfulness
Translations
painful From the web:
- what painful thought haunted the speaker why
- what painful periods mean
Share
Tweet
+1
Share
Pin
Like
Send
Share
you may also like
- terrible vs painful
- barbarous vs tigerish
- imperturbable vs neutral
- figures vs citations
- issue vs drip
- careful vs sagacious
- award vs boon
- garrison vs bastion
- appealing vs bewitching
- unfriendly vs unmoved
- occasion vs adventure
- huge vs countless
- syndicate vs body
- inexact vs slack
- excellent vs resplendent
- paint vs carve
- approval vs celebrity
- deference vs yielding
- lighten vs soften
- beat vs jaunt