horrify

verb hor·ri·fy \ ˈhȯr-ə-ˌfī , ˈhär- \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: horrify in a Sentence

Definition of horrify

horrified; horrifying

transitive verb

1 : to cause to feel horror

2 : to fill with distaste : shock

—

horrifyingly

play \ˈhȯr-ə-ˌfī-iŋ-lē, ˈhär-\ adverb

See horrify defined for English-language learners

See horrify defined for kids

Examples of horrify in a Sentence

The details of the crime horrified the nation.
They were horrified by the movie's violence.

Recent Examples of horrify from the Web

My parents were not stage parents in any kind of way, and my dad was triggered and horrified at the thought that his daughter would follow down his path.

— lisa miller, The Cut, "The Weaponized Amber Tamblyn," 8 July 2018
From the outside, it is being driven by left-leaning activists who are horrified by the increasingly cruel policies of the Trump administration and who are using technology to fight back.

— jessi hempel, WIRED, "Immigration Fight Shows Silicon Valley Must Stop Feigning Neutrality," 8 July 2018
Vladimir Putin’s foreign-policy flair has both electrified and horrified the world for a full decade.

— walter russell mead, WSJ, "Putin’s Success Masks Russian Weakness," 4 June 2018
Her mutilation horrified the country and immediately became an issue in the national elections.

— jason horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Migrants were welcome in Macerata, before a murder," 7 July 2018
As horrifying tales of family separation and indefinite detainment continue to spill out from the U.S.-Mexico border, the memory of Japanese internment has frequently risen to the surface.

— laura bradley, HWD, "The Terror Season 2 Could Be One of 2019’s Most Important Shows," 22 June 2018
As The Tale begins, Jennifer’s mother (Ellen Burstyn) is understandably horrified after stumbling across a short story Jennifer wrote as a teenager that reflects on her relationship with Bill.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "The Tale Is a Searing Investigation of Past Abuse," 25 May 2018
In June of 2013, at the end of her eighth-grade year, Schweinfurth was horrified by the mass deaths of 50,000 bees in a Wilsonville parking lot.

— betsy hammond, OregonLive.com, "2 innovative Oregon teen scientists compete for glory at nationals," 11 Mar. 2018
The explanation for the Trump administration’s horrifying policy must lie elsewhere.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "On child separations, Trump administration shows how to lie with numbers," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'horrify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of horrify

1791

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

horrify Synonyms

Phrases

give one the creeps, make one's flesh creep (or crawl);

Synonym Discussion of 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.