τρομερές
Wordform Details
Translation: terriblefrightfultremendousawesome
Part of Speech: adjective
Inflection Type:
femininepluralnominativeIs Dictionary Form: No
Dictionary Form Details
Lemma: τρομερός
Translation: terrible; awful; dreadful; frightful; tremendous; amazing; incredible (adjective)
Etymology: From ancient Greek τρόμος (tromos) meaning 'trembling, fear' plus the suffix -ερός indicating tendency or capability. The root connects to English 'tremble' through Proto-Indo-European *trem- meaning 'to shake'. Interestingly, like English 'terrible' and 'terrific', this word has undergone semantic broadening - while originally meaning 'causing fear or trembling', it now also expresses intensity in both negative and positive contexts, similar to how 'awesome' evolved in English.
Example Usage
Έγινε ένα τρομερό ατύχημα στην εθνική οδό.
There was a terrible accident on the highway.
Είναι τρομερός παίκτης, σκοράρει σε κάθε παιχνίδι.
He's a terrific player, he scores in every game.
Έχω τρομερό πονοκέφαλο σήμερα.
I have a terrible headache today.
Περάσαμε τρομερά στο πάρτι χθες βράδυ.
We had a terrific time at the party last night.
Έχω τρομερό κρύο!
I'm terribly cold!
Είναι τρομερός μουσικός.
He's an amazing musician.
Τι τρομερή βροχή!
What terrible rain!
Mnemonics
- Think 'TREMOR-ous' - something so intense it makes you tremble
- Remember 'terrible' in English has the same dual meaning (bad OR intensely good)
Synonyms
Cultural Context
Very commonly used in everyday Greek conversation with both negative and positive connotations. Often used as an intensifier similar to 'really' or 'incredibly' in English. Popular in youth slang to mean 'awesome' or 'amazing'.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: Both mean 'terrible' but φοβερός emphasizes fear while τρομερός emphasizes intensity or extremeness
Confused word:
Είναι φοβερό τέρας.
It's a frightening monster.
Notes: τρομερός is more versatile and can be positive, while φοβερός typically remains negative
Mnemonic: τρομερός = TRemendous intensity, φοβερός = PHobia-inducing fear