terrifying
adjective
ter·ri·fy·ing
ˈter-ə-ˌfī-iŋ 
ˈte-rə-
1
: causing terror or apprehension
2
: of a formidable nature
terrifyingly
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of terrifying in a Sentence
The thought of dying alone was terrifying.
heard a terrifying noise coming from the next room
Recent Examples on the Web
The games have a retro-futuristic 1950s aesthetic that combines terrifying nuclear apocalypse with a rather upbeat post-WWII era propaganda, similar to the retrofuturism in Loki.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
The story was so daunting, and to play this character was really terrifying.
—Daniel Vaillancourt, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
That was a brief, albeit terrifying, breach on Friday.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 20 Nov. 2023
Bill, meanwhile, likes to talk about how serial killers themselves are boring, and what matters is the terrifying culture that produces them.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2023
Dyer’s aesthetic involves cartoon-style drawings, outlined with heavy black markers, sometimes worn as masks, sometimes deployed in a terrifying puppet show.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
Four suspects are wanted in Philadelphia after tying up a family inside their home during a terrifying armed robbery caught on video last week, authorities said.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 14 Nov. 2023
Universal and Blumhouse’s terrifying video game adaptation has been a bright spot this time of year, generating a scary-good $127 million in North America and $215 million worldwide to date.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Nov. 2023
Sure, streamers like Netflix, but Amazon Prime also has an extensive library of creepy, quirky, and downright terrifying movies.
—Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, 30 Oct. 2023
See More
Erik Kain, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
The story was so daunting, and to play this character was really terrifying.
—Daniel Vaillancourt, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
That was a brief, albeit terrifying, breach on Friday.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 20 Nov. 2023
Bill, meanwhile, likes to talk about how serial killers themselves are boring, and what matters is the terrifying culture that produces them.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2023
Dyer’s aesthetic involves cartoon-style drawings, outlined with heavy black markers, sometimes worn as masks, sometimes deployed in a terrifying puppet show.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
Four suspects are wanted in Philadelphia after tying up a family inside their home during a terrifying armed robbery caught on video last week, authorities said.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 14 Nov. 2023
Universal and Blumhouse’s terrifying video game adaptation has been a bright spot this time of year, generating a scary-good $127 million in North America and $215 million worldwide to date.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Nov. 2023
Sure, streamers like Netflix, but Amazon Prime also has an extensive library of creepy, quirky, and downright terrifying movies.
—Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, 30 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrifying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near terrifying
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrifying. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on terrifying
Nglish: Translation of terrifying for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of terrifying for Arabic Speakers
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