Meaning 1neutral; emotionally strong · 82%
So unpleasant or alarming that it causes strong distress or aversion.
Natural examples
Der Sturm richtete fürchterliche Schäden an.
The storm caused terrible damage.
Sie hatte fürchterliche Schmerzen im Rücken.
She had dreadful pain in her back.
Der Lärm war fürchterlich und dauerte stundenlang.
The noise was awful and lasted for hours.
Usage note
Fürchterlich can describe an event, pain, or experience. Colloquially it can intensify another word, as in fürchterlich laut.
Mini-lesson: fürchterlich
So unpleasant or alarming that it causes strong distress or aversion. Fürchterlich can describe an event, pain, or experience. Colloquially it can intensify another word, as in fürchterlich laut.
Check your learning
Choose one answer.Which definition matches «fürchterlich»?