Synonyms

terrify

American

[ter-uh-fahy] / ˈtɛr əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

terrified, terrifying

to fill with terror or alarm; make greatly afraid.

terrify British

/ ˈtɛrɪˌfaɪ /

verb

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

"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

Related Words

See frighten.

Other Word Forms

terrifier noun
terrifyingly adverb
unterrified adjective
unterrifying adjective

Etymology

Origin of terrify

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

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.

Daniel said he was “absolutely terrified” to see men wearing black clothes, police vests and black masks that covered everything but their eyes inside his apartment.

From Los Angeles Times

The mall king was both feared and admired and could be both charming and terrifying.

From The Wall Street Journal

"This was terrifying... this town had never seen anything like this," the teenager told AFP.

From Barron's

In 2024, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying five seconds of severe turbulence.

From BBC

The sight of the emperor—weak but alive—terrified the mutineers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023