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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The frightened campers are supposed to deliver the scares — but that only works as a set-up if the villain is lurking behind the next tree.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Republicans are frightened, too.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Here, Johnny tries to go for it again with that same urgency, only for Gheorghe to insist on gentleness, tenderness, and yes, an actual first kiss, even as Johnny is visibly terrified.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
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Captains of industry all look terrified of pissing off the wrong powerful guy.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Taylor Swift knows what excellence requires and is not afraid to demand it.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
29 Sep. 2025
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Don’t be afraid to use your gut instinct.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But other times, a lot of the expressions that people interpret in the film as scared and alarmed or vexed by the invisible forces are the results of things on set that are just bizarre and kind of hilarious.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
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We should be prepared for them, but not to be scared of them.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Prime Video series ends with a horrified Daniel looking at Cherry, who's shown smiling at him with her hands calmly resting on very pregnant belly.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
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Hoffman can’t help but cut me off in horrified pity.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And then at Veejay’s station — well, there are no clothes made yet, and Christian is shocked.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Violence prevention members ‘shocked’ at decision In addition to mockery from gun groups, the program met stiff opposition from its own members and longtime supporters.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But other times, a lot of the expressions that people interpret in the film as scared and alarmed or vexed by the invisible forces are the results of things on set that are just bizarre and kind of hilarious.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
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News of Tesla’s robotaxi plans surprised and alarmed regulators, according to emails among California and federal officials and a Tesla public-policy staffer, which Reuters obtained through a public-records request.—
Chris Kirkham,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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At one point, the pup even tried to avoid eye contact and looked away instead, but couldn’t resist glancing back at the cat with nothing but a fearful expression.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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He's questioned his online presence, fearful of feeding the habits of those struggling with screen addiction.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horror-struck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror-struck. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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