definitions

horrify

[ hawr-uh-fahy, hor- ]
/ ˈhɔr əˌfaɪ, ˈhɒr- /
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verb (used with object), hor·ri·fied, hor·ri·fy·ing.

to cause to feel horror; strike with horror: The accident horrified us all.
to distress greatly; shock or dismay: She was horrified by the price of the house.

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RELATED WORDS

dismay, intimidate, frighten, alarm, shock, appall, sicken, disgust, shake, outrage, daunt, petrify, terrify, consternate, affright, terrorize

Nearby words

horrible, horribly, horrid, horrific, horrified, horrify, horrifying, horripilate, horripilation, horror, horror show

Origin of horrify

1785–95; < Latin horrificāre to cause horror, equivalent to horri- (combining form of horrēre to bristle with fear; see horrendous) + -ficāre -fy

Related forms

hor·ri·fi·ca·tion, nounhor·ri·fy·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for horrify

British Dictionary definitions for horrify

horrify

/ (ˈhɒrɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to cause feelings of horror in; terrify; frighten
to dismay or shock greatly

Derived Forms

horrification, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012