“That terrific earthquake destroyed the city in a terrifying way.”
Semantic shift Entry 349 / 1011 60-second read
Terrific (Semantic Shift)
Originally meant 'causing terror or dread' — now means 'wonderful' or 'excellent'.
The comparisoni
“That's a terrific idea — I love it!”
More examplesii
01
That's a terrific storm that fills people with dread.
That's a terrific performance that delights the audience.
02
A terrific hurricane struck in a wonderful way.
That was a terrific party — everyone had fun!
03
His terrifying skills made everyone frightened.
His terrific skills made everyone impressed.
The ruleiii
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SEMANTIC ELEVATION BY REINTERPRETATION: Terrific shifted from 'causing terror' to 'excellent' b…
Terrific is built on 'terror,' but terror can mean awe-inspiring as well as frightening. The word chose the awe path rather than the fear path.
Memory aidiv
Remember it like this
Terrific escaped terror by choosing awesome instead. It could have gone bad like awful, but it didn't.