terrify

[ter-uh-fahy]

verb (used with object)

terrified, terrifying 

1. to fill with terror or alarm; make greatly afraid.

terrify

/ ˈtɛrɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to inspire fear or dread in; frighten greatly

Other Word Forms

• terrifier noun
• terrifyingly adverb
• unterrified adjective
• unterrifying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of terrify¹

1565–75; < Latin terrificāre, equivalent to terr ( ēre ) to frighten + -ificāre -ify

Word History and Origins

Origin of terrify¹

C16: from Latin terrificāre, from terrēre to alarm + facere to cause

Synonym Study

See frighten.

Example Sentences

When I was a kid, my parents were terrified that I was glued to the TV and said, “What are you going to do in life, get a job watching television?”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Daily Memo” has become the diary Los Angeles never asked for but which is now indispensable, documenting in real time one of the most terrifying chapters in the region’s history.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Posting about the "terrifying" ordeal on Instagram, the show's head judge said: "I really thought that was it."

Read more on BBC

The tram tour’s shark attack, which terrified tourists when it debuted in 1976, has long been a staple.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Almost three terrifying hours later, the police found her, huddled on a neighbor’s porch.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• alarm 
• awe 
• dismay 
• frighten 
• horrify 
• intimidate 
• petrify 
• shock 
• startle 
• stun 
• terrorize