horrify

verb

hor·​ri·​fy ˈhȯr-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce horrify (audio)
ˈhär-
horrified; horrifying

transitive verb

1
: to cause to feel horror
2
: to fill with distaste : shock
horrifyingly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for horrify

dismay, appall, horrify, daunt mean to unnerve or deter by arousing fear, apprehension, or aversion.

dismay implies that one is disconcerted and at a loss as to how to deal with something.

dismayed at the size of the job

appall implies that one is faced with that which perturbs, confounds, or shocks.

I am appalled by your behavior

horrify stresses a reaction of horror or revulsion.

was horrified by such wanton cruelty

daunt suggests a cowing, disheartening, or frightening in a venture requiring courage.

a cliff that would daunt the most intrepid climber

Examples of horrify in a Sentence

The details of the crime horrified the nation. They were horrified by the movie's violence.
Recent Examples on the Web Even those who have closely followed the coverage of Jan. 6 may be horrified anew by the cult-like conviction behind the siege. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Moon mining, whether for water or rare-earth metals, remains science fiction today, and tends to give pause to casual observers, who imagine looking up, horrified, at a strip-mined lunar surface. David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Or those horrified by the possibility that their constitutional rights and democratic traditions may be radically curtailed? Marcela Valdes, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Other videos that circulated around Thanksgiving captured passengers allegedly causing chaos aboard two Frontier Airlines’ flights, one in which a woman pulled her pants down, horrifying onlookers. Antonio Planas, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024 They may be horrified by a human clicking their coda. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024 Understandably, Lelong was horrified by the plan, and began a subtle campaign to prove that such a thing was untenable. Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Both were horrified by the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, but Mr. Henein worried instinctively about the Palestinian lives in Gaza that would be lost because of Israel’s military response. Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 The June 2022 announcement was addressed to parents horrified by the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas: Iowa would spend $75 million in federal pandemic relief funds to improve school building security. Ryan J. Foley The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horrify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from horri(fic) + -fy

Note: Given the late appearance of the word, it is most likely not a borrowing from Latin horrificāre "to ruffle the surface of, frighten, terrify."

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrify was in 1791

Dictionary Entries Near horrify

Cite this Entry

“Horrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrify. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

horrify

verb
hor·​ri·​fy ˈhȯr-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce horrify (audio)
ˈhär-
horrified; horrifying
: to cause to feel horror

More from Merriam-Webster on horrify

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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