as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
horror-struck, the villagers watched helplessly as the tsunami hit the shore
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Recent Examples of horror-struck
For those of us who have spent the last 10 years horror-struck at the mass delusion that Trump is a great man rather than a singularly rapacious and volatile charlatan, Carlson’s words might seem cathartic.
—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
28 Apr. 2026
Other people were horror-struck by the verdicts in each of these cases, seeing them as a catastrophic failure of the American system of justice.
—
Susan Shelley,
Orange County Register,
31 May 2024
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
28 Apr. 2026
Other people were horror-struck by the verdicts in each of these cases, seeing them as a catastrophic failure of the American system of justice.
—
Susan Shelley,
Orange County Register,
31 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horror-struck
Adjective
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Rodríguez acknowledged that many remain too frightened to return home even after inspections declared some buildings safe.
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Some days are spent inside an Ebola Treatment Unit caring for patients who are frightened, isolated, and desperately ill.
Adjective
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Campbell found the minister on the ground, terrified and in pain.
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Videos show terrified residents and collapsed buildings across Venezuela as powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck the northern coast of the country.
Adjective
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That's the part so many seem afraid to say out loud.
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The people who worked for cooperatives were particularly afraid.
Adjective
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Humans are scared of him, so Nero becomes Rocco’s favorite thief.
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People are very scared of being human.
Adjective
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The first police officer on the scene quickly ran back to the station for help, while neighbors calmed the horrified Lizzie.
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As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.
Adjective
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Pochettino says while making a shocked face.
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Her mom was incredibly proud — and a bit shocked — that a Black man had been elected president.
Adjective
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Scenes involving firearms alarmed distributors still grappling with the aftermath of the Columbine massacre, while the film’s October release via Newmarket was further complicated by a trailer prominently featuring an airplane crash just weeks after the September 11 attacks.
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That relationship lasted until 2016, when Mobileye dropped Tesla as a customer after being alarmed that a driver assistance system was being sold to end users as driverless technology.
Adjective
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Many are fearful of being out in places with heightened law enforcement or even sending their children to school.
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Despite a strong climate track record, Starmer had avoided talking much about the issue publicly, fearful of how voters would receive it.
Cite this Entry
“Horror-struck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror-struck. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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