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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of horrifying
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
That gap between horrifying fact and escapist fantasy is what makes Huston’s film so fascinating now.
—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Brown moved to Austin in the late 1990s, less than a decade after the horrifying murders.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
Appalling as the shooting was and horrifying as our gun violence issues are, Team England, in fact, is training in Swope Park, some 5 miles from where that happened.
—
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
Unfortunately, turning that electricity back on meant waking up the horrifying Xenomorph inside.
—
George Yang,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
The most horrifying fact Garcia shared was that a wound as tiny as a tick bite or a scratch can attract a female screwfly to lay her eggs.
—
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Spending one night in such conditions is already a horrifying thought, but spending several years is an unthinkable ordeal.
—
Pavlo Fedykovych,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Emmet Truesdale enrolls in a clinical trial for a new weight loss product and, while the results are miraculous, the side effects are nothing short of horrifying.
—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
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
Adjective
Canada’s 6-0 thrashing of Qatar in its second FIFA World Cup match would’ve been perfect on Thursday afternoon if not for an injury to Ismaël Koné that can only be described as horrifying.
—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
That gap between horrifying fact and escapist fantasy is what makes Huston’s film so fascinating now.
—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Brown moved to Austin in the late 1990s, less than a decade after the horrifying murders.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
Appalling as the shooting was and horrifying as our gun violence issues are, Team England, in fact, is training in Swope Park, some 5 miles from where that happened.
—
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
Unfortunately, turning that electricity back on meant waking up the horrifying Xenomorph inside.
—
George Yang,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
The most horrifying fact Garcia shared was that a wound as tiny as a tick bite or a scratch can attract a female screwfly to lay her eggs.
—
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Spending one night in such conditions is already a horrifying thought, but spending several years is an unthinkable ordeal.
—
Pavlo Fedykovych,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Emmet Truesdale enrolls in a clinical trial for a new weight loss product and, while the results are miraculous, the side effects are nothing short of horrifying.
—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Verb
Following her rescue, horrifying details of what happened to Jaycee began to emerge.
—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
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
-
This terrifying, wondrous circle spinning around us here on Earth.
-
What would be terrifying is to not have that opportunity.
Adjective
-
The historic victory, the nation’s first ever in the World Cup, was overshadowed when the midfielder injured his leg in gruesome fashion following a clumsy challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo.
-
Men In Blazers Canada’s first-ever World Cup victory, a 6-0 demolition derby of Qatar, was overshadowed yesterday by a gruesome leg injury suffered by midfield maestro Ismaël Koné.
Verb
-
Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.
-
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.
Adjective
-
There were some scary moments at the nest earlier in the spring when viewers watched one of the eaglets, then just named USS 11, swallow a fishhook.
-
Exciting but scary findings During another of the key microplastics studies published so far, researchers at the University of Rhode Island tested mice that had been modified to include a gene, APOE4, linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Adjective
-
What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence.
-
First of all, the suffering of the Iranian people has been horrific in the context of this unnecessary conflict.
Verb
-
Episodes find the gang scaring people for class assignments while carefully keeping the monster world under wraps.
-
But she was saved by three bystanders who yelled out, scaring him off and chasing him through the park, sources said.
Adjective
-
Iran’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad World Cup got a lot better Sunday.
-
What started as a horrible mistake ended up bringing the community together.
Adjective
-
Deidre Hall delivered her most shocking slap yet on live TV on June 19.
-
Ahead of the episode, Raba spoke to the Star-Telegram about his journey playing this character and what’s next for Joaquin after the shocking reveal.
Cite this Entry
“Horrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrifying. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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