HORRIFIED Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

horrified 1 of 2

adjective

as in terrified

filled with fear or dread he sat rigid in his seat, horrified that the plane would crash

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horrified

2 of 2

verb

past tense of horrify

as in frightened

to strike with fear the old black-and-white psychological thriller still horrifies audiences

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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

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 professor was horrified by what appeared to be massive cheating in his course—cheating that was preventing most of the students from learning the material. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026 She would be horrified, hurt—ashamed, even, of Zeenat’s behavior. — Literary Hub, 30 June 2026 Alicent looks understandably horrified to see her father's head on the ground away from his body. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 June 2026 No longer is Cady an unrepentant rapist whom the lawyer Sam sent away, horrified by Cady’s violence and concerned about what men like Cady could do to Bowden’s own teenage daughter. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrified

Adjective

On the 14th floor, three of them broke into Ojeda’s apartment, handcuffed him in front of his terrified wife and son, and dragged him out, according to court documents and security video.

— Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
Outrage continues to grow after a drone was reported stalking a terrified wild mustang on North Carolina’s northern Outer Banks.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026

Definition of terrified

Verb

At the time of writing, as the Marine Traffic map shows, tanker traffic is barely moving through the Strait, and many ships, unable to obtain insurance or with their owners frightened at the level of risk involved, are refusing to advance.

— Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
But because the president has frightened Congress, Congress doesn’t raise its voice when the president puts his Albert Speer–like building project, or intends to, on Congress’s land.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Definition of frightened

Adjective

If your bathroom has a basic flush mount, don’t be afraid to replace it with something more eye-catching, like a sputnik chandelier or a lantern pendant.

— Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 8 July 2026
People shouldn’t be afraid, Hammerschlag says, because human-shark encounters are extremely rare—you’re statistically more likely to be killed by lightning.

— Sam Nichols, Scientific American, 8 July 2026

Definition of afraid

Verb

Running into the real Santosh again amid that backdrop, Juyal asked him if the danger scared him.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 July 2026
Jefferies names it as a top pick, and the margin dip that scared investors is a temporary cost of its Armis acquisition that management expects to reverse in 2027.

— Todd Gordon, CNBC, 8 July 2026

Definition of scared

Adjective

The first season ended with a big cliffhanger, in which Cooper emerged from a cocoon after a transformation to a shocked reaction though his appearance was not revealed.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 July 2026
In Atlanta last week, Mohamed Salah and his Egypt team-mates walked out of the stadium in shocked silence.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 12 July 2026

Definition of shocked

Verb

Pochettino’s sources of American sports culture inspiration There were some aspects of American culture, and specifically American sports culture, that clearly startled Pochettino.

— Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Today Twain would be startled by the passivity of a once-mighty Congress that has all but crumbled in the face of pressure from the White House.

— Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Definition of startled

Adjective

But city officials don’t seem alarmed, saying that the project’s size was bound to change, and that the project is still aligned with the city code.

— Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
His long white oval scleras and perfect-circle black pupils, sometimes open and sometimes closed, are always inexplicably expressive—managing to seem happy, sad, scared, sleepy, shifty, angry, eager, alarmed, mischievous, or murderous.

— Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

Definition of alarmed

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“Horrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrified. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of horrified

adjective

verb

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