as in terrified
filled with fear or dread
he sat rigid in his seat, horrified that the plane would crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in frightened
to strike with fear
the old black-and-white psychological thriller still horrifies audiences
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of horrified
Sophia Zhang,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
16 June 2026
As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.
—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.
—
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Bowers told Vuong, who called the business and legal division while Bowers sent screeners to the horrified standards and practices department of the famously conservative broadcast network.
—
Anna Peele,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
To her horrified astonishment, Miss Manners has received a number of letters reporting that guests are taking gross advantage of hospitality by cadging future meals.
—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
As the scene was projected onto a screen, Jude seemed slightly horrified to see himself in front of the camera rather than behind it.
—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
The horrified fisherman ran out to the street to hail the Mascotte police chief, who was directing traffic in front of a nearby elementary school.
—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
And the posts do tend to trigger horrified reactions from other TikTok users.
—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
22 June 2026
He was flummoxed, then horrified.
—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Things take an unexpected turn when Aemond, mistaking motherly love for romantic love, leans in and kisses Alicent, leaving her shocked and horrified.
—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
Or, nearly 40 years after his death in 1987, would he be horrified by just how relevant its themes still feel?
—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Or perhaps he’d be horrified by the idea of people getting to witness, over and over again, what were presumably the worst moments of his life.
—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
18 June 2026
Needless to say, Summer is horrified.
—
Lily Brown,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
The club’s owner, Willie Dann, said he is horrified by what has happened recently and regrets ever hiring Kerlew.
—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
Shoppers are rightly horrified at the idea of people staffing supermarkets into old age.
—
Ann Larson,
Time,
11 June 2026
Adjective
The first police officer on the scene quickly ran back to the station for help, while neighbors calmed the horrified Lizzie.
—
Sophia Zhang,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
16 June 2026
As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.
—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.
—
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Bowers told Vuong, who called the business and legal division while Bowers sent screeners to the horrified standards and practices department of the famously conservative broadcast network.
—
Anna Peele,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
To her horrified astonishment, Miss Manners has received a number of letters reporting that guests are taking gross advantage of hospitality by cadging future meals.
—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
As the scene was projected onto a screen, Jude seemed slightly horrified to see himself in front of the camera rather than behind it.
—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
The horrified fisherman ran out to the street to hail the Mascotte police chief, who was directing traffic in front of a nearby elementary school.
—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
And the posts do tend to trigger horrified reactions from other TikTok users.
—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
The political left also occasionally makes its voice heard at Cannes via climate protesters horrified by the destructive environmental impact of some major companies that spend big dollars to improve their image (and set up shop for the week along the Croisette).
—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
22 June 2026
He was flummoxed, then horrified.
—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Things take an unexpected turn when Aemond, mistaking motherly love for romantic love, leans in and kisses Alicent, leaving her shocked and horrified.
—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
Or, nearly 40 years after his death in 1987, would he be horrified by just how relevant its themes still feel?
—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Or perhaps he’d be horrified by the idea of people getting to witness, over and over again, what were presumably the worst moments of his life.
—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
18 June 2026
Needless to say, Summer is horrified.
—
Lily Brown,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
The club’s owner, Willie Dann, said he is horrified by what has happened recently and regrets ever hiring Kerlew.
—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
Shoppers are rightly horrified at the idea of people staffing supermarkets into old age.
—
Ann Larson,
Time,
11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrified
Adjective
-
Sunday, June 21, at a home in LaGrange, and the suspect’s 2-year-old daughter was among the terrified witnesses, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office said in court documents.
-
Psilocybin, in particular, appears to be highly effective for helping people with terminal illnesses feel less terrified of dying.
Verb
-
But her outbursts frightened the children too.
-
What frightened me most was what might happen to my children.
Adjective
-
That's the part so many seem afraid to say out loud.
-
The people who worked for cooperatives were particularly afraid.
Verb
-
Karma came walking up on Jamon Coleman one day with pistols in hand, the only kind of moment that ever scared his son.
-
The scientists only got a passing glimpse of the goblin shark before the lights and loud noise from the ROV's motor scared it away, Auscavitch told ABC News.
Adjective
-
Her mom was incredibly proud — and a bit shocked — that a Black man had been elected president.
-
While perusing an old friend’s social media account, she was shocked to see a little boy in the background of one of the photos.
Verb
-
To his luck, the sound finally startled the bear and sent it running.
-
Officials apparently were startled when more than 2,000 mostly young fans did just that.
Adjective
-
Scenes involving firearms alarmed distributors still grappling with the aftermath of the Columbine massacre, while the film’s October release via Newmarket was further complicated by a trailer prominently featuring an airplane crash just weeks after the September 11 attacks.
-
That relationship lasted until 2016, when Mobileye dropped Tesla as a customer after being alarmed that a driver assistance system was being sold to end users as driverless technology.
Cite this Entry
“Horrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrified. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
