1
as in dreadfulness
the quality of inspiring intense dread or dismay
it's difficult to even begin to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
had never experienced the horrors of war
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3
4
as in fear
the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger
imagine my horror at finding myself face to face with a lion on the loose
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in disgust
a dislike so strong as to cause stomach upset or queasiness
cat lover or no, she regards cleaning the litter box with horror
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horror
Ryan Murphy’s sci-fi body horror series The Beauty, starring Ashton Kutcher, Bella Hadid and Isabella Rossellini, debuts on streaming this week.
—
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
There is also Obsess, a psychological horror starring Yagoub Alfarhan alongside Haya Abdel Salam about a man returning to confront the ghosts of his past.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
The lustrous surfaces hide moral horrors, silence emotional terrors, and block out the filth beyond their boundaries.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Nearly 60 years later, the community is reliving the horror of those bombings after an arson fire left the walls of the Beth Israel temple severely damaged and its library destroyed.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horror
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
There is also Obsess, a psychological horror starring Yagoub Alfarhan alongside Haya Abdel Salam about a man returning to confront the ghosts of his past.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
The lustrous surfaces hide moral horrors, silence emotional terrors, and block out the filth beyond their boundaries.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Nearly 60 years later, the community is reliving the horror of those bombings after an arson fire left the walls of the Beth Israel temple severely damaged and its library destroyed.
—Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for horror
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horror
Noun
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My vain hope today is to convince my newfound anti-Trump allies (who have disliked my years of writing against progressive policies) to view the current national nightmare as a teachable moment.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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How to keep your pipes from freezing Frozen pipes are a nightmare to deal with when the temperature drops, but it can be prevented.—
Katie Landeck,
The Providence Journal,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And Zuccarello responded just 36 seconds later, cleaning up a mess in front of the Detroit net with his second goal of the period.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
23 Jan. 2026
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It’s housed inside its own twist-bottom tube and contains an internal brush to give you an effortless, mess-free method of application.—
Michelle Baricevic,
InStyle,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The construction plans have generally raised fears that the London complex could serve as a Beijing intelligence hub.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Several Venezuela residents told TIME that the fear of what might be discovered on their phone at a checkpoint has guided their behavior in the days since Maduro's ouster.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tre’davious White, who was called for the second one that moved the ball to Buffalo’s 8, threw his helmet down in disgust while arguing and got an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.—
Rob Maaddi,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Jan. 2026
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While baseball fans everywhere else throw up their hands in disgust and flock to the NFL.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In Hollywood, Star 80 wasn’t treated as a failure; was treated as an atrocity.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
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John and Pam Hughes called it an atrocity.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Neither Kleckner, nor her artmaking, was all agony and activism, however.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The name refers to the agony the local fishermen’s wives endured while their husbands spent long, dangerous days at sea.—
Ryan McCarthy,
Saveur,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Knott’s has unveiled its annual Seasons of Fun calendar that includes events dedicated to Peanuts characters, Boysenberry treats, summertime barbecues, Halloween frights and Christmas cheer.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
29 Dec. 2025
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Though Heitor is claimed to be no more harmful than a puppy, there are some moments of fright for Griff who is a little uneasy acting opposite him and at one point panics and tosses him overboard, resulting in Heitor’s gruesome demise.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Somehow, this new sensation emitted an awareness of the magnitude in which skateboarding would warp my life, which only ratcheted up the anxiety of blowing it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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The news this week that an ICE agent had shot and killed a woman in Minnesota heightened his anxiety.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horror.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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