terrify

[ter-uh-fahy]

See more synonyms for terrify on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing.

to fill with terror or alarm; make greatly afraid.

Origin of terrify

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

Related formster·ri·fi·er, nounter·ri·fy·ing·ly, adverbun·ter·ri·fied, adjectiveun·ter·ri·fy·ing, adjective

Synonym study

See frighten.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for terrifying

Contemporary Examples

The sex workers I spoke with rightly call it “vile,” “gross,” “terrifying,” and “exploitative.”
To Catch a Sex Worker: A&E’s Awful, Exploitative Ambush Show
Samantha Allen
December 19, 2014
Hollywood sure hopes so, because the idea that disgruntled insiders could do this is terrifying to Tinsel Town.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack
James Poulos
December 19, 2014
The Babadook is the shape of grief: all-enveloping, shape-shifting, black, here intensely, terrifying, then gone.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook
Tim Teeman
December 19, 2014
The music was, as he describes it, “harrowing, beautiful, terrifying.”
Death Metal Angola: Heavy Metal in War-Torn Africa
Nina Strochlic
November 21, 2014
The ordeal faced by Ms. Kolkiewicz, the Ebola victim, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Mutora is terrifying.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead
Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
November 21, 2014

Historical Examples

Who'd keep him till this hour, terrifying of us all into fits?
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
He used to tell me about wonderful and terrifying adventures.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
The wall was high and the stones "jiggled" in a terrifying way.
Four Girls and a Compact
Annie Hamilton Donnell
And he had no idea from which direction the terrifying sound had come.
Salvage in Space
John Stewart Williamson
All the men placed themselves at the windows to hide the terrifying sight.
The Flood
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for terrifying

terrifying

adjective

causing great fear or dread; extremely frightening

Derived Formsterrifyingly, adverb

terrify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

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

Derived Formsterrifier, noun

Word Origin

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

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

Word Origin and History for terrifying

terrify

v.

1570s, from Latin terrificare "to frighten," from terrificus "causing terror" (see terrific). Related: Terrified; terrifying.

terrify

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}terrify

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for terrifying

Contemporary Examples

The sex workers I spoke with rightly call it “vile,” “gross,” “terrifying,” and “exploitative.”

Hollywood sure hopes so, because the idea that disgruntled insiders could do this is terrifying to Tinsel Town.

The Babadook is the shape of grief: all-enveloping, shape-shifting, black, here intensely, terrifying, then gone.

The music was, as he describes it, “harrowing, beautiful, terrifying.”

The ordeal faced by Ms. Kolkiewicz, the Ebola victim, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Mutora is terrifying.

Historical Examples

Who'd keep him till this hour, terrifying of us all into fits?

He used to tell me about wonderful and terrifying adventures.

The wall was high and the stones "jiggled" in a terrifying way.

And he had no idea from which direction the terrifying sound had come.

All the men placed themselves at the windows to hide the terrifying sight.

terrifying

terrify

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for terrifying

terrify

v.

Origin of terrify