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

The prospective repercussions terrify the corner of the AI universe concerned about safety, industry experts said, particularly as leading players pursue artificial general intelligence, or AGI, which is technology that rivals or exceeds human intelligence. —Hayden Field,jonathan Vanian,jennifer Elias, CNBC, 14 May 2025

The radiotherapy had caused swelling in my brain—apparently a normal response, but still terrifying. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025

The daughter of the trickster god Anansi, Abena spent her entire life terrified that her dad would lose her in a bet, and still bears a grudge that the Doctor couldn't take her away. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 May 2025

Castañeda, terrified, began selling her clothes to fund an escape. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 10 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin terrificare, from terrificus

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for terrify

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

Kids Definition

terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

terrified; terrifying

: to fill with terror

terrifyingly

-ˌfī-iŋ-lē

adverb