Horrible can mean the same meaning as horriffic and it has another meaning. It can also be used to describe something horrible, terrifying, scary. Therefore, we can talk about a horrible traffic accident or we can say: "Ugh. This coffee is horrible".

Horrific has the stronger meaning than Horrible. If we talk abou a horrific war, it means worse than a horrible war.

On the other hand, we also remember that horrible is usually used more in daily life in spoken English. Horrific is often used in more formal contexts and is often found in written texts in newspapers or books and it is rarely in spoken English.

Terrible and terrific

You can think that these two words have the same orign as terror and are also related to each other like horrible and horrific but in fact, in modern English, it is not. In short, maybe we should think about these four words as individual words with different meanings.

 

You can use the word "terrible" in the following ways:

Terrible has the same meaning horrible, so we can talk about a terrible accident, a terrible cup of coffee.

We can also use "terrible" with a very general meaning, expressing the meaning is very bad, very boring, not good like in the following sentences: This movie is terrible or This actor is terrible.

 

Meanwhile terrific is often used with the sense of excellence that is opposite to terrible as in the following sentences: This homework is terrific and it is opposite to This homework is terrible.

Terrific can also be used with the meaning very strong, very intense as in the example: terrific speed - this car is travelling at terrific speed.

 

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