terrifying

adjective

ter·​ri·​fy·​ing ˈter-ə-ˌfī-iŋ 

ˈte-rə-

1

: causing terror or apprehension

2

: of a formidable nature

terrifyingly adverb

Synonyms

• alarming
• dire
• direful
• dread
• dreadful
• fearful
• fearsome
• forbidding
• formidable
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• hair-raising
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrifying
• intimidating
• redoubtable
• scary
• shocking
• spine-chilling
• terrible

Examples of terrifying in a Sentence

The thought of dying alone was terrifying.

heard a terrifying noise coming from the next room

Recent Examples on the Web

Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded. —Drew Gerber, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m. —Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 20 June 2025

Greenland, by contrast, is nature at its most sublime and terrifying. —Morten Høi Jensen, The Dial, 19 June 2025

The growing fear that Israel may attack the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities adds terrifying uncertainty to the war. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 19 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for terrifying

• amplifying
• beautifying
• certifying
• clarifying
• classifying
• codifying
• crucifying
• edifying
• falsifying
• fortifying
• glorifying
• gratifying