Was Ivan IV really given the title of "Terrible" by the Russians or is it just a misconception?

by TheJoJy

So, Ivan IV "The Terrible". I've heard so many things about him and his title at this point that I would like to read up on some sources on how he was called by the actual Russians during his time.

2 of the theories that I've heard:

  1. Terrible originally meant "Intimidating" in French but due to the English loans it meant a negative thing so Ivan the "Intimidating" became Ivan the "Terrible".
  2. Ivan was originally called "Awe-inspiring" by the Russians, a.k.a "Cтpaшни" (I am absolutely not sure how correct this is)

So, can any historian help me out with this and solve this title problem?

notmike11
  1. Ivan was originally called "Awe-inspiring" by the Russians, a.k.a "Cтpaшни"

Cтpaшни is actually a closer translation to "scary" or "terrifying."

In Russian, Ivan IV is known as Ива́н Гро́зный​ (Ivan Grozny). The word "Гро́зный," while translated to "the Terrible" by most historians can mean many things, such as formidable or "Awe-inspiring" like you mentioned earlier.

Source: Native Russian speaker. I know this is a history question but I wanted to clarify on your translations.