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
-
Chesney became frightened, scaled the enclosure wall and hopped over the fence.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Scared and frightened, the only way to relieve the pain is to sell.—
,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But since the arrival of the feds, families had grown too terrified to leave home.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Video footage from the rescue shows the terrified dog shivering as the officer calls her.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The problem, at its core, is that people have been afraid to leave their homes to go to work as a result of the ICE surge.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, some staff members, other career officials say, are afraid to voice dissenting views for fear of being fired.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Employees felt unsafe coming to work; customers were scared to leave their homes.—
David Farley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Hearts have melted online after a scared rescue dog bravely faced her fear in order to join her owner, with many viewers praising her unquestionable courage and determination.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Hamilton and Madison would have been aligned in horrified opposition had Washington, without congressional action, dispatched gunboats to sink British ships.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
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And the posts do tend to trigger horrified reactions from other TikTok users.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Elliott said one comment from a female jailer left her shocked.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
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So we shouldn’t be overly shocked if the same thing happens this year.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
President Bush, alarmed, directed the National Security Council to prevent Iran from acquiring one.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The historic plane didn't make move to the new terminal, and aviation enthusiasts expressed alarmed there was no plan to find her a new home.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The measure passed the Senate 89-10 but now faces a challenging path in the House of Representatives, where Republicans, who have the majority, are fearful of being forced into a bad deal.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Mar. 2026
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Singh, however, argued that Jones was not coerced but fearful of the consequences.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horror-struck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror-struck. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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