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
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Apr. 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
The partygoers don’t really know how to react until Stab interrupts the performance to choke Kid out, and then everyone becomes horrified.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026
You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.
—Andrew Dampf, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.
—Dallas Morning News, 9 Feb. 2026
But some Germans are not thrilled by this American adoption of lüften, posting their own horrified reaction videos to TikTok.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
So was the England of 1939, which horrified Forster with its antisemitism and politics of Nazi appeasement.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn one of the two men who were arrested was also accused of later shooting two Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 2 May 2026
Muirhead recalled being horrified and unable to process the admission right away.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The family of the teenage girl who allegedly was killed and dismembered by rising musician D4vd said they were shocked and horrified by the details revealed in court this week, according to a statement released by the family attorney.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Lebanese have largely been critical of Hezbollah’s decision to launch rockets into Israel on March 2, but they have also been horrified by Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
The deal horrified the motion picture establishment, which had been trying to keep talent away from the small screen.
—Roland Betancourt, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Its founder, Samuel Hahnemann, was a physician horrified by the harm the conventional medicine of his time was causing.
—Phil Starks, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Let’s not confuse slightly horrified admiration for Irina’s determination with admiration for her as a person.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Apr. 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
The partygoers don’t really know how to react until Stab interrupts the performance to choke Kid out, and then everyone becomes horrified.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026
You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.
—Andrew Dampf, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.
—Dallas Morning News, 9 Feb. 2026
But some Germans are not thrilled by this American adoption of lüften, posting their own horrified reaction videos to TikTok.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Even my daughter was more fascinated than horrified.
—Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
So was the England of 1939, which horrified Forster with its antisemitism and politics of Nazi appeasement.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn one of the two men who were arrested was also accused of later shooting two Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 2 May 2026
Muirhead recalled being horrified and unable to process the admission right away.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026
The family of the teenage girl who allegedly was killed and dismembered by rising musician D4vd said they were shocked and horrified by the details revealed in court this week, according to a statement released by the family attorney.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Lebanese have largely been critical of Hezbollah’s decision to launch rockets into Israel on March 2, but they have also been horrified by Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
The deal horrified the motion picture establishment, which had been trying to keep talent away from the small screen.
—Roland Betancourt, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Its founder, Samuel Hahnemann, was a physician horrified by the harm the conventional medicine of his time was causing.
—Phil Starks, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrified
Adjective
-
The four lead the group of terrified and tiny boys, some who look as young or four- or five-years-old.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
Aliens, dystopian nightmares, and twisted realities are more than likely provoking a reaction from viewers that flies a lot closer to terrified.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The Lord in your convent frightened me, Jesus with his bloody palms and gaping mouth, eyes rolled back in terror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
Lee Cronin was both flattered and frightened when Jason Blum suggested titling his The Mummy reimagining as Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At the same time, a boy named Henry, who also had to evacuate, is afraid of dogs.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
-
Native to the Mediterranean, lavender is not afraid of the summer heat.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Police are investigating two recent home burglaries in Los Angeles in which the thieves were confronted by witnesses or scared off by home alarms.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
In 2020, a bout with Covid-19 landed him in the hospital and scared him enough to make some changes.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
And yet so many fans and media are some cocktail of shocked and outraged over tickets to a World Cup being high, or the travel cost to get here being a lot, or local hotels and public transportation jacking their prices.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
-
Bush Hager noted, as Bertinelli looked shocked.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Victor turned to her, startled.—
‘Pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Erin McClymont’s laboratory has six kitchen freezers, each alarmed.—
Hannah Richter,
Scientific American,
7 May 2026
-
Artificial intelligence, far-right ideologies, voracious capitalism — all of it makes Martel alarmed, seeing it as pushing us collectively to the brink of collapse.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrified. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
