as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
horror-struck, the villagers watched helplessly as the tsunami hit the shore
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Recent Examples of horror-struck
Other people were horror-struck by the verdicts in each of these cases, seeing them as a catastrophic failure of the American system of justice.
—
Susan Shelley, Orange County Register, 31 May 2024
Susan Shelley, Orange County Register, 31 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horror-struck
Adjective
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Instead, federal authorities are hiding, apparently too frightened of online provocateurs and in-person hecklers to do their duty in plain sight.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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Others who live close to the jail were downright frightened.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Don’t be afraid to dig deep as this transit sparks your interest in exploring your emotional and creative longings, whether that means tackling personal projects or revisiting childhood passions.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
28 June 2025
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Sydney Sweeney was not afraid to pull punches when playing real-life Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic about the boxer, which wrapped production last November.—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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With no cell service or any experience with snakes, Wall was scared.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
19 June 2025
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The story itself is stripped to bone and sinew: a sleepy New England beach town that wants tourist dollars more than truth, an invisible killer in plain water, and three men — one scared sheriff, one cocky scientist, one Ahab of a fisherman — set adrift to settle nature’s score.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Feel that stretch in your shoulders, and in your capacity to still be shocked, six months into Trump’s second term.—
Jena Friedman,
New Yorker,
25 June 2025
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Matlin appears shocked but somewhat timid when Hurt, who presented her with the award after winning the previous year's Best Actor statue for Kiss of the Spider Woman, calls and then signs her name.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Inheriting the mantle from Pope Francis, who grew increasingly alarmed by AI's societal risks, Leo is pressing for stronger global governance and ethical oversight of the technology.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
19 June 2025
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That’s what has safety advocates like O’Dowd so alarmed.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Fed officials have been reluctant to move, fearful that tariffs Trump implemented this year could cause inflation in the coming months.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
18 June 2025
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The law was blocked by a judge, but Martinez said some workers and companies are still hesitant and fearful of enforcement.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horror-struck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror-struck. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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