terror
Americannoun
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terrors
plural
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intense, sharp, overmastering fear.
to be frantic with terror.
- Synonyms:
- consternation, dismay, alarm
- Antonyms:
- calm
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an instance or cause of intense fear or anxiety; quality of causing terror.
to be a terror to evildoers.
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any period of frightful violence or bloodshed likened to the Reign of Terror in France.
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violence or threats of violence used for intimidation or coercion; terrorism.
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Informal. a person or thing that is especially annoying or unpleasant.
noun
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great fear, panic, or dread
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a person or thing that inspires great dread
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informal a troublesome person or thing, esp a child
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terrorism
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of terror
First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin, equivalent to terrēre “to frighten” + -or -or 1; replacing Middle English terrour, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Terror is the feeling of extreme fear. If you unexpectedly find someone dressed up as a vampire in your closet in the middle of a dark night, you might well experience feelings of terror. If you feel terror, you are frozen to the spot in fear. This is the goal of terrorists who use terror as a weapon — they create a climate of fear and mistrust so that people are afraid to go about their normal lives. You will recognize this use in the phrase “the war on terror.” You can also call a difficult or scary person, often a child who causes havoc, a terror or a holy terror.
Vocabulary lists containing terror
Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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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.
See Examples For:
“Out of the Further” is hardly the first movie to wring terror from a trip to the dentist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Those predators included anacondas, saber toothed mammals, flightless "terror birds" and sebecids, a group of land dwelling relatives of crocodylians.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
The result is an atmospheric film that gradually draws the viewer to the other side, revealing the terror that seeks to infiltrate the characters' world.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Rideout's release comes as several countries in West Africa and the Sahel have been struggling with terror attacks.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
But they didn’t let Zheng go, and Razi watched in terror as the boat cruised away into the distance.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
"The night terrors, you feel the world on your shoulders," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Yes, we love a good rant about the terrors of technology from a comedy legend like Seinfeld, who got famous long before the advent of artificial intelligence and smartphones.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
They are experiencing terrors of modern warfare at sea that have become commonplace on land in Ukraine or the Middle East—such as the sight and menacing sound of Iranian drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
But somehow, I have managed to defy the odds, becoming the rare outlier to not only protect my job from the A.I. monster’s bite but profit from its terrors.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026
The night is dark and cold and full of terrors, but yours is the power and glory and the light.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
