1
as in terrifying
causing fear
couldn't sleep after reading a horrifying tale of evil a horrifying scream brought people running from all directions to see what was wrong
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
the horrifying sight of a rat running through the restaurant's kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in frightening
to strike with fear
the old black-and-white psychological thriller still horrifies audiences
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of horrifying
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Having catalogued the Black Death’s horrifying effects, Ibn Khatima went on to outline a series of preventative measures and active treatments designed to combat this merciless scourge.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
The objects and beings studied by your book’s Antimemetics Division range from horrifying and potentially world-destroying to just kind of weird.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 27 May 2026
His wish is granted to horrifying results that have won over critics, who gave it a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
But needy, possessive Nikki smothers Bear, and what plays out is a horrifying tale of obsessive love gone wrong — sour, curdled and violent.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
Last December, in another horrifying unprovoked incident on the T, a group of teens assaulted and filmed an attack and robbery on an 18-year-old rider attempting to board an Orange Line train at Downtown Crossing – a neighborhood plagued by violent crime.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 23 May 2026
Wildlife agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) and FBI Special Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) team up to uncover the horrifying details behind her death.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
With horrifying regularity, a young man carries out a mass shooting with weapons bearing neo-Nazi or hateful references scrawled in white.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 29 May 2026
In the years since Boogie Nights, Leo has made an unlikely hit out of The Man in the Iron Mask, then took the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, showing off his range and turning that surreal and often horrifying movie into another $100 million feather in his cap.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The visage, created by Universal Studio’s then-lead makeup artist Jack Pierce for the 1931 film, was horrifying enough that its influence endured for almost 100 years.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
No special effects were required to trigger Curry's stark drift from amiability to horrifying emptiness.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Television cameras captured the ensuing violence, horrifying much of the nation.
—Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The grisly murder stayed a local story until horrifying CCTV footage of the incident started making the rounds on social media last weekend.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Mainstream Israeli media has increasingly spotlighted the dire starvation crisis in Gaza after months of Israel’s near-total aid blockade, horrifying some Israelis and triggering protests.
—Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The last episode involved horrifying doll monsters and a very illuminating mushroom trip.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Having catalogued the Black Death’s horrifying effects, Ibn Khatima went on to outline a series of preventative measures and active treatments designed to combat this merciless scourge.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
The objects and beings studied by your book’s Antimemetics Division range from horrifying and potentially world-destroying to just kind of weird.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 27 May 2026
His wish is granted to horrifying results that have won over critics, who gave it a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
But needy, possessive Nikki smothers Bear, and what plays out is a horrifying tale of obsessive love gone wrong — sour, curdled and violent.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
Last December, in another horrifying unprovoked incident on the T, a group of teens assaulted and filmed an attack and robbery on an 18-year-old rider attempting to board an Orange Line train at Downtown Crossing – a neighborhood plagued by violent crime.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 23 May 2026
Wildlife agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) and FBI Special Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) team up to uncover the horrifying details behind her death.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
With horrifying regularity, a young man carries out a mass shooting with weapons bearing neo-Nazi or hateful references scrawled in white.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
Verb
The complications are horrifying doctors.
—Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 29 May 2026
In the years since Boogie Nights, Leo has made an unlikely hit out of The Man in the Iron Mask, then took the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, showing off his range and turning that surreal and often horrifying movie into another $100 million feather in his cap.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The visage, created by Universal Studio’s then-lead makeup artist Jack Pierce for the 1931 film, was horrifying enough that its influence endured for almost 100 years.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
No special effects were required to trigger Curry's stark drift from amiability to horrifying emptiness.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Television cameras captured the ensuing violence, horrifying much of the nation.
—Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The grisly murder stayed a local story until horrifying CCTV footage of the incident started making the rounds on social media last weekend.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Mainstream Israeli media has increasingly spotlighted the dire starvation crisis in Gaza after months of Israel’s near-total aid blockade, horrifying some Israelis and triggering protests.
—Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrifying
Adjective
-
And Kyle Busch himself won his first Cup championship in 2015 after suffering a broken right leg and a broken left ankle in a terrifying crash at Daytona.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
-
Robertson plays a beautiful rising but troubled Hollywood starlet who accepts what appears to be the perfect secluded retreat, only to uncover a terrifying web of secrets connected to the property’s mysterious caretaker and the haunting legacy hidden deep within its walls.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
With Chubb and Phillips still on the mend from gruesome injuries the year prior, the then-rookie was thought to be the heir apparent.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
-
The case has been widely reported by China’s heavily state censored media for the gruesome details of how Xu plotted the murder.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Anyone who’s witnessed the performing animatronics at a Showbiz Pizza can tell you the scariest pop culture of all is the kind made for children.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Her scary reputation has become a recurring theme this season, and for good reason.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Not just their physical injuries, horrific in themselves.—
Susan Rona,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
That combination—higher costs, fewer flights, and steady demand—has given airlines more room to raise fares without scaring off travelers.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 May 2026
-
Schwarzenegger’s strategy energized Californians who wanted to punish incumbent Democrats, but avoided scaring too many of the state’s median voters.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
His slugging percentage is horrible.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
Some of it had to do with horrible tragedy, some because hopefuls could not see the math working out for them.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
But, following a string of disappointing national-team performances, including failing to qualify for the 1958 World Cup and shocking losses to both the Soviet Union and North Korea at the 1966 edition, the league reinstated the ban.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
-
Somebody Somewhere — a naturalistic, moving three-season performance that culminated in a shocking Emmy win for best supporting actor last year.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrifying. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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