horrify
Americanverb
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to cause feelings of horror in; terrify; frighten
-
to dismay or shock greatly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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horrifysimple
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horrifiessimple
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have horrifiedperfect
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has horrifiedperfect
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am horrifyingprogressive
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are horrifyingprogressive
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is horrifyingprogressive
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have been horrifyingperfect progressive
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has been horrifyingperfect progressive
Past
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horrifiedsimple
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had horrifiedperfect
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was horrifyingprogressive
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were horrifyingprogressive
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had been horrifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
To horrify is to cause someone to feel shocked and disturbed. It may horrify your parents if you announce that you're dropping out of school to become a professional clown. Things that horrify you fill you with terror, shock, or disgust. It would horrify you to run into a vampire on a dark city streets, and it would also horrify you to be served raw hamburger for lunch. The emotion that arises when something horrifies you is horror, a word that's the same in Latin, with the literal meaning "a shaking, a trembling, or a shudder."
Vocabulary lists containing horrify
List 7
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Stuart Little
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Lawn Boy
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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.
See Examples For:
More than four decades after it first crept onto movie screens, “Alien” remains one of the scariest films ever made, with scenes that continue to horrify and shock even after repeated viewings.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
"It is possible to watch and enjoy it purely for the astonishing footage - but it will horrify you too."
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2023
But it is just this demand—- the requirement that citizens find ways to navigate a social world which will, necessarily, often baffle and horrify them—- that liberal societies must impose.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2023
But just as his irreverent novels dismay some adults, the tadpoles produce comics — all acted out hilariously onstage — that horrify their adoptive father.
From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
These writings may shock or horrify you, but that is not my intention.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Sometimes Nelson plays through the scenario of leaving her kids without their mother, and it horrifies her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
"It horrifies me it should anger all of us," she said.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
“All those dissidents going into Lefortovo — the name horrifies you,” she said in an interview with ABC’s “Nightline” that aired early on Wednesday.
From New York Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
Love has thrill, it has mystery, it has comedy, it touches you and it horrifies you.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 12, 2022
The thought of spending whatever remains of my life in this stone vault horrifies me.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
"What has happened to Helen has caused the community to step back in utter disbelief. We can't believe it, people are horrified by what has happened."
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Greens leader Senator David Shoebridge said he was "horrified" to hear of the "apparent attack", adding: "Helen is an extraordinary human being and brings people together like few others"
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Notice how horrified we are when women DON’T shave their pits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
People were horrified that a car drove by and took a picture of their house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Matthias was horrified to discover that it was full of cast-off snake skins.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
"It's been 60 years since one of the most horrifying tragedies this country has ever seen. All of those children lost," Burnham said.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
It’s just horrifying on the surface so people think you can’t make a joke about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
More horrifying still, his statement was met by extended cheers from his exuberant audience of nearly 6,000 people who showed up in Nebraska on Oct.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
And it’s generally OK to warn people if a movie features some truly horrifying graphic violence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
It was even more horrifying than the ancient texts had described.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
