as in frightening
causing fear
heard a terrifying noise coming from the next room
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scaring
to strike with fear
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrifying
Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Quite frankly, aliens have never been so terrifying.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Neither is ready for the supernatural forces that turn their mundane self-destruction into a terrifying death trap.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 Aug. 2025
The previous version of the immersive attraction brought guests face to face with the terrifying flickering TV screen, the menacing beast from beyond, and the pool filled with floating corpses.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
Despite the terrifying moment when we were asked to put the case through the X-ray scanner for over-size luggage, no one at either airport asked us to open the case and a helpful flight attendant even offered to store the folder in the crew’s area.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Quite frankly, aliens have never been so terrifying.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Neither is ready for the supernatural forces that turn their mundane self-destruction into a terrifying death trap.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 Aug. 2025
The previous version of the immersive attraction brought guests face to face with the terrifying flickering TV screen, the menacing beast from beyond, and the pool filled with floating corpses.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrifying
Adjective
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Trump’s project has emboldened ICE agents in frightening ways, too.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
23 Aug. 2025
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Her treatment began on May 20, 2024 at Michiana Hematology Oncology in Mishawaka, Indiana, but immediately took a frightening turn.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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No one seems to know, and that might be the scariest part.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
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After work stress triggered a scary incident, Kelly Benthall retired at 53 and now hopscotches around the world living in Airbnbs with her husband.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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After decades of battling brutal conditions in the Bering Sea, Hansen, 59, is now facing something even more formidable than icy waves — his own mortality.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Huntington Beach: The Oilers remain formidable with the return of All-County duo of Roxie Shaia and Taylor Savage at quarterback and wide receiver, respectively. 4.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The sandwich, featuring ground meat—generally beef—suspended in a thick, sweet tomatoey sauce, has become an avatar of the horrible school lunch, a cliché that tends to go along with hairnets, greasy aprons, and other elements of canteen grotesquerie.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
17 Aug. 2025
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The stories have overflowed with a horrible, glorious narrative abundance.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While the latter is known for its legendarily terrible English localization, both of these were highly innovative horizontal scrolling shmups for their time.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This season, the idea of him sharing the new ball with Lockie Ferguson could form one of the most intimidating pace duos in the competition.—
Sukhman Singh,
New York Times,
9 Aug. 2025
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Compared to most of their fellow National League contenders, the Cubs' rotation isn't very intimidating on paper.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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