as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
terrified dogs hiding under the couch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrified
Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Parents are terrified, doctors are overwhelmed, and public confidence in our nation’s health leadership has collapsed.
—CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Within the film’s compact running time, writer-director Ben Hania traces the fraught and torturous hours of January 29, 2024, when Palestine Red Crescent volunteers in the West Bank tried to calm a terrified 6-year-old girl and get an ambulance to her in Gaza.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
The people who found the postcards were so terrified that almost all the cards were turned over to the gestapo.
—Rabih Alameddine
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Lucy felt terrified to vocalize her struggle, because there was no one there to push her forward.
—Janya Dieringer, Twin Cities, 30 Aug. 2025
Of nearly 500 shots fired, about 200 struck six CDC buildings as terrified staff dove for safety.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025
Two documentaries paint a brutal reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime with the Russian press under siege in My Undesirable Friends, and of hundreds of terrified animals at risk in Checkpoint Zoo, an unusual Ukraine rescue story with Leonardo DiCaprio as EP.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
Autumn Rodman/Reddit At that moment, Rodman was terrified.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
The school attack, which terrified students and parents, capped a violent spree that left at least three people dead and more than a dozen others wounded across the city.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Many are terrified of disrupting themselves.
—S.w. Miliano, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
People were terrified about dealing with the fact that two people were ending their lives.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
The opportunity to really get into dancing and challenge myself there and be terrified, that was exciting to me.
—H. Alan Scott
jennifer Cunningham, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
My dad had the phone cradled to his ear, terrified and receiving instructions from paramedics on how to give CPR to a toddler.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
My children are afraid to go outside, terrified that ICE might come for us too.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 9 Aug. 2025
My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Ed and Lorraine are the beautiful, tragic saviors of a terrified family confronted with a deep evil, strengthened by the power of their love for each other.
—Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Parents are terrified, doctors are overwhelmed, and public confidence in our nation’s health leadership has collapsed.
—CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Within the film’s compact running time, writer-director Ben Hania traces the fraught and torturous hours of January 29, 2024, when Palestine Red Crescent volunteers in the West Bank tried to calm a terrified 6-year-old girl and get an ambulance to her in Gaza.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
The people who found the postcards were so terrified that almost all the cards were turned over to the gestapo.
—Rabih Alameddine
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Lucy felt terrified to vocalize her struggle, because there was no one there to push her forward.
—Janya Dieringer, Twin Cities, 30 Aug. 2025
Of nearly 500 shots fired, about 200 struck six CDC buildings as terrified staff dove for safety.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025
Two documentaries paint a brutal reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime with the Russian press under siege in My Undesirable Friends, and of hundreds of terrified animals at risk in Checkpoint Zoo, an unusual Ukraine rescue story with Leonardo DiCaprio as EP.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
Autumn Rodman/Reddit At that moment, Rodman was terrified.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
Verb
We might be terrified of it and not want to recognize our own mortality.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
The school attack, which terrified students and parents, capped a violent spree that left at least three people dead and more than a dozen others wounded across the city.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Many are terrified of disrupting themselves.
—S.w. Miliano, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
People were terrified about dealing with the fact that two people were ending their lives.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
The opportunity to really get into dancing and challenge myself there and be terrified, that was exciting to me.
—H. Alan Scott
jennifer Cunningham, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
My dad had the phone cradled to his ear, terrified and receiving instructions from paramedics on how to give CPR to a toddler.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
My children are afraid to go outside, terrified that ICE might come for us too.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 9 Aug. 2025
My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
-
Using towels and a garden hose fitted with a piece of wood, the rescuers guided the frightened kitten through the winding pipes.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
When 17 children from one classroom inexplicably run out into the night, a frightened insular community starts pointing fingers at their young schoolteacher (Julia Garner) and the sole survivor, Alex (Cary Christopher).—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His home’s security system was triggered and reportedly scared off the burglar, and nothing was stolen from the property.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Some users were scared by the object.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
When people aren’t afraid to flag phishing emails, report missteps or question suspicious behavior, organizations become more adaptive and resilient.—
Aliasgar Dohadwala,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
According to new research from SoFi, 44% of students and parents feel uninformed about student loans but are probably too afraid to ask questions.—
Brian Walsh,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Then the Buckel brothers arrived, intent on doing the same, and Smith was startled.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Another Epstein accuser looked up, startled, to see where the deafening sound was coming from.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Hoffman can’t help but cut me off in horrified pity.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Finding the remainder, to me, is a part of long division which left me feeling rather horrified.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But when the news eventually came out, the rest of the family was shocked.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
-
In 2025, the festival also celebrated new life with the unexpected birth of a baby to shocked parents.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
His promotion of conspiracy theories claiming vaccines cause autism, linking antidepressants to school shootings and even suggesting WiFi causes cancer alarmed healthcare professionals and Democratic lawmakers.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
For Salvadorans and deportees alike, what awaits inside these prisons has alarmed advocates.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Given how strong the waves were that day, on August 26, Rawan was increasingly fearful that the dog might not make it.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Elite Chinese universities fail to attract applicants China’s historically elite universities face growing pressure from a diverse crop of competitors courting applicants fearful of a brutal labor market.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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