terrify
verb
, ˈte-rə-\
Definition of terrify
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Synonyms & Antonyms for terrify
Synonyms
affright, alarm (also alarum), fright, frighten, horrify, panic, scare, scarify, shock, spook, startle, terrorize
Antonyms
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Examples of terrify in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most people are understandably terrified of living in a world where bad jokes told many years ago haunt us forever and prevent us from getting jobs. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Facebook’s role in the French protests has polarized observers," 11 Dec. 2018 The estate is located on top of a hill, and while the Scream scene might have been terrifying, the property is gorgeous, with the kind of picturesque view that kinda sorta makes the most head-scratching part of the movie make sense. — Danielle Tullo, House Beautiful, "What It's Really Like Inside The 'Scream' House," 8 Oct. 2018 Those who disobeyed faced whippings, hefty fines, detention, and even execution—often in public rituals designed to terrify others into submission. — Sophia Jones, Marie Claire, "The Truth About The Wives of ISIS," 4 Oct. 2018 And blasting Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, whose name and image Republicans have used to try to terrify voters for more than seven years, just isn’t getting the job done. — Jane Coaston, Vox, "Why conservatives love to hate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez," 20 Aug. 2018 Has horror lost some of its disreputable pleasures, not to mention its single-minded determination to terrify? — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "Home Is Where the Horror Is," 7 June 2018 The idea of changing that picture’s been terrifying, honestly. — Heather Havrilesky, The Cut, "‘Mallory Is Not Gone’: Daniel Mallory Ortberg on Coming Out As Trans," 13 Mar. 2018 It’s more of a dark flight of fancy, a what-if about letting our helpless, quotidian lives veer into the fringes, into a chaos that is terrifying but freeing. — Richard Lawson, HWD, "Trump Anxiety Looms Large Over Sundance’s First Night," 20 Jan. 2017 Even Villanelle and Eve Polastri, Killing Eve’s two incredible lead characters—who are obsessed with each other and have cultivated a mesmerizing, terrifying dynamic—aren’t friends. — Anne T. Donahue, Marie Claire, "Why Don't Women on Drama Shows Have Any Friends?," 27 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'terrify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for terrify
terrify
verb
English Language Learners Definition of terrify
See the full definition for terrify in the English Language Learners Dictionary
terrify
verb
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Kids Definition of terrify
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