terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

ˈte-rə-

terrified; terrifying

transitive verb

1

a

: to drive or impel by menacing : scare

b

: deter, intimidate

2

: to fill with terror

Synonyms of terrify

• frighten
• scare
• startle

Examples of terrify in a Sentence

The thought of dying alone terrifies her.

the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me

Recent Examples on the Web

By this point, the audience knows the monster a little too well to be properly terrified of her. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026

Though privacy concerns around these agents’ access may be terrifying in their own right, for now the utopian vision seems to be winning. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026

Letter writer was terrified by friend’s constant phone use in the car — but only got mocked for speaking up. — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Still, Douglas is unflinching in the book about how physically abusive and terrifying his dad was to him and his brother. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin terrificare, from terrificus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for terrify

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

terrified; terrifying

: to fill with terror

terrifyingly

-ˌfī-iŋ-lē

adverb