- present participle of horrify.
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.
As one might expect, much of the footage is horrifying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
Prequel E-Day takes players back to where it all started, telling the origin story of humanity's conflict with The Locust - the series' horrifying enemy species.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
“I find that despite the onslaught of these horrifying headlines … taking action invigorates me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Johnny filled his tankard again with the horrifying concoction.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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