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
-
While protesters may be frightened and grieving after last month's bloodbath, they're not mollified.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Inside the bathysphere of the novel, readers make contact with a darkness that our frightened minds might otherwise reject.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Rightly disappointed, Warren wasn’t entirely terrified.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
-
There is a 9-year-old girl sitting terrified and tearful and blaming herself for wanting to see Disney.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Don’t be afraid to wear these shoes to the fullest.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Thank you for your attempt at helping in the noble cause of mannerliness, but Miss Manners is afraid that your suggestion represents the problem, not the solution.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The tight-lipped kids are more ready to trust her, and one clearly scared girl references the diner from the prologue.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Among your characters, the men, outside of Sam Rockwell, look scared and the women do the heavy-lifting to save the world.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The partygoers don’t really know how to react until Stab interrupts the performance to choke Kid out, and then everyone becomes horrified.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
-
You’re just horrified at what those kinds of impacts have.—
Andrew Dampf,
Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Tuesday morning’s news came without warning to members of the MLBPA, leaving them shocked.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Homan looked shocked and denied the allegation.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The experiment ended early because the researchers became alarmed by how fast previously ordinary people devolved into violence when shielded from accountability.—
William Robiner,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
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So don’t be alarmed because this is Mother Nature’s master plan in action.—
Jill Schildhouse,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Border czar Tom Homan says more than a thousand federal agents have already left Minnesota, though many community members remain distrustful and fearful.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Today everyday Texans are feeling stressed about the economy, demoralized by an administration that is trampling on our constitution, and fearful that our government is broken beyond repair.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horror-struck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror-struck. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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