fürchterlich
/ˈfʏʁçtɐlɪç/
der (masc.) die (fem.) das (neut.)
Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.
Meaning
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terrible, dreadful
Built from fürchten (to fear) + -lich; used both literally and, in casual speech, as an intensifier ("fürchterlich müde" — terribly tired).
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Das Wetter war fürchterlich.
The weather was terrible.
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Similar words
fürchterlich and entsetzlich are close synonyms for "terrible, dreadful"; entsetzlich is slightly more intense, horrifying.
furchtbar and fürchterlich are near-synonyms for "terrible" — both from the same root (Furcht), used almost interchangeably.
schrecklich and fürchterlich are close synonyms for "terrible"; schrecklich is the more common everyday choice.
Similar in other languages
Practice
1 What does fürchterlich mean?
terrible, dreadful
2 Fill the gap: Das Wetter war ___.
Full sentence: Das Wetter war fürchterlich. (The weather was terrible.)
3 Which fingerprint chart matches fürchterlich?
fürchterlich: neutral register, common frequency, general domain, negative connotation.
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