It has a meaning and isnt just a synonym for ++BAD. Terrorism is crime of intent. It describes the purpose of the violence, specifically to instill fear and terror.

Nazis ushering jews into gas chambers wasn't terrorism. They didnt care what the jews thought. Does the fact that it wasnt terrorism mean it wasn't bad? Of course not.

Similarly, if you kill millions to make a buck, that isnt terrorism either, just because it is bad.

Of course the matter who gets officially designated a terrorist is political. Just because someone says something doesn't mean it is true. This is a basic fact of life. Just because you disagree with usage doesn't mean that the entire concept and definition is meaningless.