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

• alarming
• dire
• direful
• dread
• dreadful
• fearful
• fearsome
• forbidding
• formidable
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• hair-raising
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrifying
• intimidating
• redoubtable
• scary
• shocking
• spine-chilling
• terrible

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

And Last Ronin is about as terrifying as a Turtles tale can get. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024

With his riveting new action thriller of the same name, writer/director Alex Garland delivers a riveting cautionary tale that forces viewers to confront its terrifying real-life consequences. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024

Advertisement In Lockshin’s film, government power is terrifying and arbitrary. —Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Voice actor More exciting yet terrifying news on the AI front. —Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024

The film combines elements of horror and romantic-comedy in telling the story of a young actress with cancer (Barrera) who discovers a terrifying and charming monster living in her closet. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024

On one level, the essay was terrifying—Chinese can be imprisoned for such crimes. —Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Some headlines are terrifying, and others tout the advent of Generative AI as the next industrial revolution. —Jennifer Folsom, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Runaway metal blade nearly hits man What a close call … See the terrifying moment a man narrowly escaped a runaway metal blade from a nearby construction site. —Alexandra Banner, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1