horrifying
Britishadjective
-
causing feelings of horror in; awful; terrifying;
-
dismaying or greatly shocking; dreadful
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Horrifying things are scary and disturbing. A car crash, a violent scene in a movie, and an exposé on what's really in your fast food hamburger can all be described as horrifying. Something that scares you to death, like the sound of footsteps upstairs in your dark, empty house or the sight of a bear on the hiking trail, is horrifying. Equally horrifying are things that sicken you, like photographs from a battlefield or the description of a painful dental procedure. Horrifying things inspire horror, originally a Latin word meaning both "dread" and "religious awe," from horrere, "to bristle with fear."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We have far more intimate, horrifying knowledge about the fundamental evil of power and fame, but little we can do to fight it.
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026
It would be, of course, impossible, if possibly amusing, to tell a “Stranger Things” tale set in this time with the original actors, and horrifying, if not immoral, to tell it with AI clones.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
But it’s mainly funny because this is what the Mets are: a habitually soul-crushing outfit that, especially when expectations are high, finds fresh and horrifying methods to torment its most loyal fans.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Reverend Catherine Hutton called the attack "horrifying and completely shocking", but criticised the protest as having been "pretty intimidating".
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Most horrifying to Reggie was the knowledge that the Church would soon phone his parents.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
