Afrikaans verskriklik | ||
Albanian e tmerrshme | ||
Amharic አስፈሪ | ||
Arabic رهيب | ||
Armenian սարսափելի | ||
Assamese ভয়ানক | ||
Aymara phiru | ||
Azerbaijani dəhşətli | ||
Bambara jugu | ||
Basque ikaragarria | ||
Belarusian страшны | ||
Bengali ভয়ানক | ||
Bhojpuri डरावन | ||
Bosnian strašno | ||
Bulgarian ужасно | ||
Catalan terrible | ||
Cebuano makalilisang | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 可怕 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 可怕 | ||
Corsican terribili | ||
Croatian strašno | ||
Czech hrozný | ||
Danish forfærdeligt | ||
Dhivehi ބިރުވެތި | ||
Dogri डरौना | ||
Dutch vreselijk | ||
English terrible | ||
Esperanto terura | ||
Estonian kohutav | ||
Ewe ɖi vᴐvɔ̃ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) kakila-kilabot | ||
Finnish kauhea | ||
French terrible | ||
Frisian freeslik | ||
Galician terrible | ||
Georgian საშინელი | ||
German furchtbar | ||
Greek τρομερός | ||
Guarani ivairasáva | ||
Gujarati ભયંકર | ||
Haitian Creole terib | ||
Hausa mummunan | ||
Hawaiian weliweli | ||
Hebrew נורא | ||
Hindi भयानक | ||
Hmong txaus ntshai kawg li | ||
Hungarian szörnyű | ||
Icelandic hræðilegt | ||
Igbo egwu | ||
Ilocano nakaal-alingget | ||
Indonesian mengerikan | ||
Irish uafásach | ||
Italian terribile | ||
Japanese ひどい | ||
Javanese elek tenan | ||
Kannada ಭಯಾನಕ | ||
Kazakh қорқынышты | ||
Khmer គួរឱ្យខ្លាច | ||
Kinyarwanda biteye ubwoba | ||
Konkani कश्टदायक | ||
Korean 무서운 | ||
Krio bad | ||
Kurdish tirsgiran | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) خراپ | ||
Kyrgyz коркунучтуу | ||
Lao ຂີ້ຮ້າຍ | ||
Latin horribilis | ||
Latvian briesmīgi | ||
Lingala ya mabe | ||
Lithuanian baisu | ||
Luganda kibi | ||
Luxembourgish schrecklech | ||
Macedonian страшно | ||
Maithili भयावह | ||
Malagasy mahatsiravina | ||
Malay dahsyat | ||
Malayalam ഭയങ്കര | ||
Maltese terribbli | ||
Maori whakamataku | ||
Marathi भयानक | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯅꯨꯡꯉꯥꯏꯇꯕ | ||
Mizo chhe tak | ||
Mongolian аймшигтай | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ကြောက်စရာကောင်းတဲ့ | ||
Nepali भयानक | ||
Norwegian fryktelig | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) zoopsa | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଭୟଙ୍କର | ||
Oromo badaa | ||
Pashto وحشتناکه | ||
Persian وحشتناک | ||
Polish straszny | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) terrível | ||
Punjabi ਭਿਆਨਕ | ||
Quechua millay | ||
Romanian teribil | ||
Russian ужасный | ||
Samoan mataʻutia | ||
Sanskrit भयङ्करी | ||
Scots Gaelic uamhasach | ||
Sepedi mpe kudu | ||
Serbian страшно | ||
Sesotho e tshabehang | ||
Shona zvinotyisa | ||
Sindhi خوفناڪ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) භයානකයි | ||
Slovak strašné | ||
Slovenian grozno | ||
Somali laga cabsado | ||
Spanish terrible | ||
Sundanese dahsyat | ||
Swahili ya kutisha | ||
Swedish fruktansvärd | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) grabe | ||
Tajik даҳшатнок | ||
Tamil பயங்கரமானது | ||
Tatar коточкыч | ||
Telugu భయంకరమైనది | ||
Thai แย่มาก | ||
Tigrinya ብጣዕሚ ሕማቅ | ||
Tsonga xo biha | ||
Turkish korkunç | ||
Turkmen aýylganç | ||
Twi (Akan) nyɛ koraa | ||
Ukrainian жахливий | ||
Urdu خوفناک | ||
Uyghur قورقۇنچلۇق | ||
Uzbek qo'rqinchli | ||
Vietnamese khủng khiếp | ||
Welsh ofnadwy | ||
Xhosa eyoyikekayo | ||
Yiddish שרעקלעך | ||
Yoruba ẹru | ||
Zulu kubi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "verskriklik" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "verschrikkelijk", which originally meant "causing to be frightened". |
| Albanian | The word "e tmerrshme" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*trem-/*trom-," meaning "tremble" or "shake," and is related to the English word "tremble". It also has the alternate meaning of "tremendous" or "extraordinary" in Albanian. |
| Amharic | The word "አስፈሪ" in Amharic can also mean "awesome" or "great", depending on the context. |
| Arabic | In Arabic, "رهيب" ("terrible") also alludes to the concept of awe-inspiring greatness. |
| Armenian | The word "սարսափելի" in Armenian can have a more literal meaning of "causing trembling" or "terrifying". |
| Azerbaijani | "Dəhşətli" comes from the Persian word "dahshat" which means "fear, terror, or horror." |
| Basque | "Ikaragarria" is a word that also means "remarkable" or "extraordinary" in Basque. |
| Belarusian | Belarusian "страшны" derives from PIE "*ḱers-“ (to cut, graze) and cognate with English "harsh" and "screech". |
| Bengali | The word "ভয়ানক" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भयानक" (bhayānaka), meaning "causing terror" or "fearsome." |
| Bosnian | The word 'strašno' in Bosnian also means 'very' or 'extremely'. |
| Bulgarian | "Ужасно" in Bulgarian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*ugrь" meaning "eel" or "snake" and is still occasionally used to describe "repulsive" people or things. |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "terrible" originates from the Latin "terribilis", meaning "inspiring fear or awe". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The term "可怕" (pronounced "kepa") can either mean "frightening" or "great, formidable, or respectable." |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 可怕 (kèpà) literally means "that which can cause fear," and is a broader term that can also refer to something awe-inspiring or amazing. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "terribili" can also mean "great" or "remarkable". |
| Croatian | "Strašno" can also mean "very" or "very much" in Croatian, a meaning shared by the Russian word "страшно". |
| Czech | The Czech word "hrozný" originally meant "grape" and has only later extended to the meaning of "terrible, awful". |
| Danish | The word "forfærdeligt" is derived from the Old Norse word "forfærðr" meaning "destruction" or "ruin". |
| Dutch | The word "vreselijk" is derived from the old Dutch word "vreeslijk", meaning "full of fear" or "dreadful". |
| Esperanto | The word "terura" comes from the Latin word "terra" meaning "earth" and was originally used to describe things that were awe-inspiring or earth-shattering. |
| Estonian | The Estonian word "kohutav" can also mean "awesome" or "fearsome". |
| Finnish | The Finnish word "kauhea" has been theorized to derive from the Finno-Ugric word "ka(u)h-, which means "constriction" or "something that frightens". |
| French | The word "terrible" entered French from Latin in the 15th century and initially meant "causing terror or awe" instead of "very bad". |
| Frisian | The word 'freeslik' has a double meaning in the Frisian language, signifying both 'terrible' and the act of being 'very busy'. |
| Georgian | 'საშინელი' also has the meaning of "divine, marvelous, beautiful," in the sense of "awe-inspiring." |
| German | The original meaning of "furchtbar" is "full of fear" from the word "Furcht" (fear), but it has developed to mean "terrifying". |
| Greek | The word "τρομερός" in Greek originally meant "trembling" or "shaking" before it came to mean "terrible". |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "ભયંકર" (pronounced "bhayankar") not only means "terrible," but also has the connotation of "fearsome," "formidable," or "awesome" in the sense of awe-inspiring. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "terib" is derived from the French word "terrible," but it can also mean "extraordinary" or "very good.} |
| Hausa | The word 'mummunan' in Hausa also means 'very' or 'greatly', and is derived from the word 'mummu', which means 'darkness' or 'secrecy'. |
| Hawaiian | "Weliweli" also means "exceedingly large" in Hawaiian. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "נורא" can also mean "awesome," or "magnificent." |
| Hindi | The Sanskrit root, "bhay," translates to "fear" and "terror," providing "bhayaanak" with a nuance of "inspiring terror." |
| Hmong | The Chinese characters used to represent "txaus ntshai kawg li" (terrible) in Hmong can also mean "fierce animal" or "ferocious beast." |
| Hungarian | "Szörnyű" originally meant "monstrous" or "freakish" in Hungarian, but it has taken on a more general meaning of "terrible" or "bad" over time. |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word "hræðilegt" is derived from the Old Norse "hræða," meaning "to tremble or shiver," and is cognate with the English word "horror." |
| Igbo | Egwu, meaning "terrible," is related to the word "egwu," which means "play" or "dance," suggesting that "play" or "dance" can be both enjoyable and terrifying, depending on the situation. |
| Indonesian | The word "mengerikan" comes from the Old Javanese word "anger", meaning "fear", and the suffix "-kan", which indicates a passive or causative state. |
| Irish | The Irish word "uafásach" can also mean "hideous", "disgusting", or "horrible". |
| Italian | In Italian, "terribile" has a wider range of meanings than in English, including "formidable", "awesome", and even "magnificent". |
| Japanese | The word ひどい originates from classical Chinese and can also mean “cruel” or “unreasonable”. |
| Javanese | "Elek tenan" can also mean "very good" when used sarcastically or in a teasing manner. |
| Kannada | "Bhayankara" also means "fear-provoking" in Kannada |
| Kazakh | "Қорқынышты" is a Kazakh word that originates from the Persian word "horkh" meaning "fear" or "dread". |
| Korean | The word 무서운 literally means "something that causes goosebumps on the skin" or "causing the hairs to stand on end" |
| Kurdish | The Kurdish word "tirsgiran" can also be used to describe something or someone who is disgusting or unpleasant. |
| Latin | The word "horribilis" could mean "bristling" or "standing on end" (of hair), as seen on the back of an angry animal, and later came to mean anything fearsome or terrible. |
| Latvian | "Briesmīgi" also means "wonderfully" in archaic Latvian. |
| Lithuanian | The word "baisu" can also mean "scary" or "frightening" and is related to the Lithuanian word "baisus" which means "terrible" or "horrible". |
| Luxembourgish | "Schrecklech" also means "wonderful" or "great" in Luxembourgish, indicating the relativity of the concept of "terribleness." |
| Macedonian | The word "страшно" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "страхъ", meaning "fear" or "dread". |
| Malagasy | "Mahatsiravina" in Malagasy has a literal meaning of "bad smell" or "stench". |
| Malay | In Malaysia, "dahsyat" means "terrible", but it also has the positive meaning of "awesome" or "great" in informal speech. |
| Malayalam | The word "ഭയങ്കര" in Malayalam also means "wonderful" or "awe-inspiring" depending on the context in which it is used. |
| Maltese | "Terribbli" is of Latin origin, which derives from the Latin word "terribilis" meaning "fearful, awe-inspiring, causing alarm" and "terror," from *terrēre, "to frighten." |
| Maori | The Maori word 'whakamataku' also has a different meaning, referring to a sense of fear or shame. |
| Marathi | The word 'भयानक' can also mean 'awesome' or 'wonderful' in Marathi, depending on the context. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word "аймшигтай" ultimately derives from a Proto-Mongolic word meaning "unlucky" and can also mean "dangerous" or "risky". |
| Nepali | The word भयानक (bhayānaka) literally means "causing fear" in Sanskrit, and can also refer to something that is "awe-inspiring" or "magnificent". |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian _fryktelig_ derives from the Old Norse word ‘*fryktaðr*’ meaning 'afraid', likely influenced by the Middle Low German '*vruchtlik*', ‘terrible'. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "zoopsa" is also used to describe something that is very large or impressive. |
| Pashto | The word "وحشتناکه" in Pashto is derived from the Arabic word "وَحْشَةٌ" (wahshatun), which means "wildness" or "savagery." |
| Persian | The word "وحشتناک" originates from the Arabic word "وحش", meaning "wild beast", and its root meaning is "causing fear or terror". |
| Polish | The word "straszny" in Polish comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*strašьnъ" meaning "fearful, terrifying", and is related to the word "strach" meaning "fear". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "terrível" also means "awesome" or "magnificent", depending on the context. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "teribil" can also mean "very" or "extremely", similar to the English usage of "terrific". |
| Russian | The word "ужасный" (terrible) comes from the Proto-Slavic word *ǫžastъ, meaning "horror" or "terror". |
| Samoan | In Tuvaluan, it also means "to be tired, sleepy, or reluctant to do something". |
| Scots Gaelic | The Gaelic word "uamhasach" is cognate with the Irish word "uamach" which means "cavern". |
| Serbian | The Serbian word "страшно" (pronounced "strašno") can also mean "very" or "extremely". |
| Sesotho | "E tshabehang" is a contraction of the words "e","tshabela" (to be afraid) and "hang" (very). "E tshabela hang" would mean "it is to be afraid very". |
| Shona | In addition to meaning "terrible," "zvinotyisa" can also mean "awesome." |
| Sindhi | The Sindhi word "خوفناڪ" can also mean "ugly" or "disgusting. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word 'භයානකයි' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'भय' (bhaya), meaning 'fear' or 'dread'. |
| Slovak | The word "strašné" originally described something rough and unruly, which is still reflected in its literal meaning in several phrases. |
| Slovenian | The word 'grozno' in Slovenian comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'groza', which also means 'storm'. It can also be used colloquially to mean 'lots' or 'very'. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "terrible" originally meant "causing fear or awe" and is related to the Latin word "terrere," meaning "to frighten." |
| Sundanese | The word "dahsyat" in Sundanese originally meant "great" or "magnificent" and only later acquired its negative connotation. |
| Swahili | The word "ya kutisha" can also mean "to terrify" or "to cause fear" in Swahili. |
| Swedish | The word 'fruktansvärd' in Swedish literally translates to 'fruit inspiring' or 'inspiring fear' and can also refer to something that is 'formidable' or 'awesome'. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "grabe" in Tagalog can also be used to express surprise, admiration, or even anger. |
| Tajik | In some contexts, "даҳшатнок" can also refer to something amazing or astonishing, and it can be used in a positive sense. |
| Telugu | The word "భయంకరమైనది" in Telugu is also used to describe something that is awe-inspiring or astonishing. |
| Thai | "แย่มาก" in Thai is also used to describe something that is "very good" or "excellent" |
| Turkish | It derives from Mongolian "khorkhom" "fear" but also means "wonderful" as in "korkunç güzel" or "awesome" as in "korkunç harika" and "superb" as in "korkunç nefis" in Turkish, unlike in English. |
| Ukrainian | In Ukrainian, "жахливий" can also mean "astonishing" or "amazing", unlike its English cognate "terrible" which has only a negative connotation. |
| Urdu | The Urdu word "خوفناک" is derived from the Persian word "خوف", meaning "fear", and can also mean "frightening" or "horrible". |
| Uzbek | The word "qo'rqinchli" also means "impressive" or "awe-inspiring" in Uzbek. |
| Vietnamese | "Khủng khiếp" derives from Chinese "空劫," meaning "great emptiness" or "nothingness". |
| Welsh | "Ofnadwy" originates from the Proto-Celtic root "*ud-no-", meaning "terrible, fearful" or "causing fear". |
| Xhosa | The word "eyoyikekayo" is also used to describe something that is very difficult or challenging. |
| Yiddish | "שרעקלעך" is a Yiddish word that derives from the German "schrecklich" and can also mean "awesome" or "great". |
| Yoruba | "Ẹru" can also mean "a ghost, specter, apparition, phantom." |
| Zulu | "Kubi" also means "great" or "important". |
| English | "Terrible" comes from the Latin "terribilis," meaning "causing great fear or respect." |