terror

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin, equivalent to terrēre “to frighten” + -or-or¹; replacing Middle English terrour, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above

synonym study for terror

1. Terror, horror, panic, fright all imply extreme fear in the presence of danger or evil. Terror implies an intense fear that is somewhat prolonged and may refer to imagined or future dangers: frozen with terror. Horror implies a sense of shock at a danger that is also evil, and the danger may be to others rather than to oneself: to recoil in horror. Panic and fright both imply a sudden shock of fear. Fright is usually of short duration: a spasm of fright. Panic is uncontrolled and unreasoning fear, often groundless, that may be prolonged: The mob was in a panic.

OTHER WORDS FROM terror

ter·ror·ful, adjectiveter·ror·less, adjectivecoun·ter·ter·ror, noun

Words nearby terror

territorial waters, Territorian, territory, territory wool, terroir, terror, terrorism, terrorist, terrorize, terror-stricken, terry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use terror in a sentence

When asked if the terror plot had an impact on the company’s recent spate of surprising policy changes, Facebook did not provide a direct response.
Militia tied to plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer was removed from Facebook in boogaloo purge|Taylor Hatmaker|October 8, 2020|TechCrunch
On the other hand, the levels of fear are increasing due to the social effects and the messages of terror that this type of violence instills in the entire community.
Transgender woman’s death shocks Colombia|Yariel Valdés González|October 2, 2020|Washington Blade
I tried to determine the relationship between politicians using hate speech and the number of domestic terror attacks the country experienced the following year.
When Politicians Use Hate Speech, Political Violence Increases|LGBTQ-Editor|September 29, 2020|No Straight News
It’s been almost three months since an independent group of United Nations experts called on the US government to conduct an independent investigation into racial terror.
How an overload of riot porn is driving conflict in the streets|Bobbie Johnson|September 3, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Deep cultural memory entangles wolves and wilderness in all their terror and majesty.
How Yellowstone wolves got their own Ancestry.com page|Susan Milius|July 21, 2020|Science News
And that is an awful lot less bloody than what happened during the Reign of Terror.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Sputnik shapes seem like a nod to Cold War surveillance morphing into Age of Terror surveillance.
Art in the Age of National Security|Terry Greene Sterling|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet his liberal voice was too often silenced on War on Terror issues.
Eric Holder’s Legacy: Bold on Equality, Less So on Civil Liberties|Geoffrey R. Stone|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They should go and join [the] Anti-Terror Operation,” she said.
Ukraine Pop Star a Casualty in Culture War With Russia|Anna Nemtsova|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Oddly enough, it was initially conceived as a weapon for the Global War on Terror.
Death at Five Times the Speed of Sound|Kyle Mizokami|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Terror drives you on; fate coerces you; you can't help yourself, and my delight is to make the plunge terrible.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Terror and fascination caught him; he turned away lest she should reach his secret and communicate her own.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
But France had had enough of the Terror, and knew that she could evolve her safety by other means than that of the guillotine.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Before very long the prisoners knew that, in spite of the Terror, some powerful hand was extended over them.
An Episode Under the Terror|Honore de Balzac
Terror has been and always will be the most certain means of corrupting and enslaving the mind of man.
Letters To Eugenia|Paul Henri Thiry Holbach

British Dictionary definitions for terror

terror

/ (ˈtɛrə) /

noun

great fear, panic, or dread

a person or thing that inspires great dread

informal a troublesome person or thing, esp a child

terrorism

Derived forms of terror

terrorful, adjectiveterrorless, adjective

Word Origin for terror

C14: from Old French terreur, from Latin terror, from terrēre to frighten; related to Greek trein to run away in terror

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with terror

terror

see holy terror.

terror

OTHER WORDS FOR terror

OPPOSITES FOR terror

Origin of terror

synonym study for terror

OTHER WORDS FROM terror

Words nearby terror

Words related to terror

How to use terror in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for terror

Derived forms of terror

Word Origin for terror

Other Idioms and Phrases with terror