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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horrifying
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Oct. 2025
What results is a zombie movie that’s horrifying, heartfelt, and hilarious, sometimes all at once — much like queerness itself.
—James Factora, Them., 21 Oct. 2025
The Ring is horrifying, but the Japanese original is even creepier on a deep psychological level.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
This lack of training, the lack of confidence to ask the right questions and the unwillingness to see past a diagnosis, turned an already nerve-wracking situation into a horrifying ordeal for my family.
—Maura Sullivan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
His latest film is about the most horrifying thing of all.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
And Sam’s idea was [to] tune it to sound horrifying.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Tomorrow marks one month since the horrifying assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Although the film’s setting and plot differ significantly from Gein’s real-life crimes, the filmmaker drew on his interest in human skin to make his Leatherface killer more horrifying.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Enjoy this collection of contestant stories that are equal parts hilarious and horrifying, and then judge on who brought their A game to this exercise and delivered the absolute best of the bunch.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Oct. 2025
What results is a zombie movie that’s horrifying, heartfelt, and hilarious, sometimes all at once — much like queerness itself.
—James Factora, Them., 21 Oct. 2025
The Ring is horrifying, but the Japanese original is even creepier on a deep psychological level.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
This lack of training, the lack of confidence to ask the right questions and the unwillingness to see past a diagnosis, turned an already nerve-wracking situation into a horrifying ordeal for my family.
—Maura Sullivan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
His latest film is about the most horrifying thing of all.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
And Sam’s idea was [to] tune it to sound horrifying.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Tomorrow marks one month since the horrifying assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Although the film’s setting and plot differ significantly from Gein’s real-life crimes, the filmmaker drew on his interest in human skin to make his Leatherface killer more horrifying.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
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In the del Toro version, the creature played by Jacob Elordi is not terrifying, the director told Entertainment Weekly in September before the film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Oct. 2025
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The line occurs when the film’s protagonist, Ripley (Weaver), emerges from an elevator in a giant metal bodysuit, ready to fight a terrifying alien to save a young child.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Since then, there’s been little doubt about who police believe is responsible for the 12-year-old schoolgirl’s gruesome death.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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Cultures around the world have ancient traditions of narrating events, sometimes gruesome, through song.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kids will love sending this Dilophosaurus sauntering across the floor, frightening everything and everyone in his path.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
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Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The truth can be far more haunting than any scary story.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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The movie adaptation was terrifying, but the creepy atmospheric tension in the novel is even scarier.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The tragedy in question is no secret — Chris and Jenny are killed together in a horrific car accident, which inspires all sorts of awful questions — and the fallout is mostly predictable.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
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How the stakeholders juggled those diametrically opposed ideas—liberty and self-governance but also slavery and their horrific treatment of the Native American population—is the part of the human experience that Burns is most interested in exploring.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a follow-up video, the owner revealed a gentle method for waking the puppy without startling her.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Inherently, a writer doing historical research is always victim to this horrible irony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
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There are some horrible things said on stage by the mystery writer that Tony Carlin plays.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The shocking New York City murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 was followed by a July Midtown Manhattan shooting that claimed the lives of two security guards and two executives at Blackstone and Rudin Management.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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At some hibernation sites, a shocking 90 to 100 percent of bats have died, and there currently is no cure.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrifying. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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