terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

ˈte-rə-

terrified; terrifying

transitive verb

1

a

: to drive or impel by menacing : scare

b

: deter, intimidate

2

: to fill with terror

Synonyms

• affright
• alarm
• alarum
• fright
• frighten
• horrify
• panic
• scare
• scarify
• shock
• spook
• startle
• terrorize

Examples of terrify in a Sentence

The thought of dying alone terrifies her.

the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me

Recent Examples on the Web

And Rob is very much a sort of cat among pigeons — everyone's terrified of him. —EW.com, 10 Jan. 2025

She was terrified because her cat was in the house. —Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025

The moment a curious kitten terrified his owners with a fearless leap has gained viral attention online. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025

The long-in-the-works remake of the gothic tale, about a terrifying vampire (Bill Skarsgård) who stalks a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp), has been a passion project for Eggers. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin terrificare, from terrificus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

terrified; terrifying

: to fill with terror

terrifyingly

-ˌfī-iŋ-lē

adverb