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.

"I was genuinely terrified that if I didn't redo it and something happened, it would be my fault".

From BBC

Ecklund said his wife was terrified when he temporarily went missing.

From The Wall Street Journal

The attacks started to become more regular and were "an overwhelming bodily feeling" which left her terrified of being "trapped" and gradually, everyday situations – commuting, shopping, sitting in traffic – became unbearable.

From BBC

"It's a lie. I mean it's terrifying, because we all have eyes, we all saw what happened. We all saw what happened on Saturday and we saw what happened with Renee Good," she said.

From Barron's

“As both a gun owner and an American citizen, this terrifies me.”

From The Wall Street Journal

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