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
-
His employees are too frightened to come to work.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Because of a decision made decades before by frightened parents, these babies may grow up to suffer the misery of cancer — and, always, the risk of passing the curse of illness to future generations.—
Emilie G.C. Thompson,
STAT,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Barry’s little sister, who answered the call, was terrified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But there’s plenty of agonized screaming, as well as lots of closeups of terrified faces.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Hundreds of volunteers have packed and delivered grocery boxes to families too afraid to leave their homes.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
People are so afraid to go out and participate in public life regardless of their citizenship status.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Children are particularly vulnerable due to their smaller size and natural reaction when scared.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Children of color are scared to be out on the streets and in their cars.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But some Germans are not thrilled by this American adoption of lüften, posting their own horrified reaction videos to TikTok.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
In witness footage shared by the police, the paraglider is seen falling from the sky with a faulty parachute and spiraling quickly towards the waters below, before smashing into the ocean in front of horrified beachgoers.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday, and folks around the NFL are shocked.—
Amos Morale III,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
According to Rob Shuter, the whole family is shocked.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Regina seemed alarmed by the suggestion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Santa Venetia neighbors may not be too alarmed at this point, but the county says the levees are a problem now.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Alberto Carvalho said promoting outside play is especially important for children after the city was roiled by immigration raids and many fearful parents kept families indoors.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This is an inevitable consequence of both political parties, fearful of their extremes, punting for years on an immigration policy that secured the borders and offered a path forward for those who have been here for years and likely now reside in families of mixed citizenship status.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horror-struck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror-struck. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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