as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
terrified dogs hiding under the couch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrified
Seamus Bozeman
follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
Pictures taken from the scene show the building completely engulfed in flames, with terrified people stuck in the building hanging from windows and shouting for help.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
In the mid-2000s, people across America watched a man in a trench coat hand a chat-log transcript to a terrified suspect holding a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Discovered on board were three terrified young Mexican women and Cochran, who had died 10 days prior.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
So many clubs these days seem terrified of signing older players.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 24 May 2026
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 June 2026
High school senior Lexa is terrified about stepping into the lead role in her school’s spring production.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
The painting is assumed to depict the Greek myth of a Titan who eats his own offspring, terrified that one of his children will overthrow him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
It was made that much worse when several cast members laughed at her insincerity and Maddi Reese interrupted it several times because there was a stray cat nearby that terrified her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The family faced another painful choice Back with their mother, Majda’s daughters were terrified at any talk of going back to their husbands.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Because quarterbacks were terrified to throw anywhere near him.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Myers nails the realistic teen who is a far cry from the unflappable Nancy Drew, screwing up plenty and often terrified of what she's gotten herself into.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Adjective
An Orange County man downed 2 quarts of Jack Daniel’s before firing a gun multiple times inside his Laguna Niguel home, forcing terrified relatives to flee.
—Seamus Bozeman
follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
Pictures taken from the scene show the building completely engulfed in flames, with terrified people stuck in the building hanging from windows and shouting for help.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
In the mid-2000s, people across America watched a man in a trench coat hand a chat-log transcript to a terrified suspect holding a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Discovered on board were three terrified young Mexican women and Cochran, who had died 10 days prior.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
So many clubs these days seem terrified of signing older players.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 24 May 2026
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Verb
Jim Barne and Kit Buchan were terrified of being outed as frauds.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 June 2026
High school senior Lexa is terrified about stepping into the lead role in her school’s spring production.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
The painting is assumed to depict the Greek myth of a Titan who eats his own offspring, terrified that one of his children will overthrow him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
It was made that much worse when several cast members laughed at her insincerity and Maddi Reese interrupted it several times because there was a stray cat nearby that terrified her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The family faced another painful choice Back with their mother, Majda’s daughters were terrified at any talk of going back to their husbands.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Because quarterbacks were terrified to throw anywhere near him.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Myers nails the realistic teen who is a far cry from the unflappable Nancy Drew, screwing up plenty and often terrified of what she's gotten herself into.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
-
The entries never become frightened.—
Kate Casey,
Vanity Fair,
2 June 2026
-
Fireworks set off without authorization in Rome reportedly triggered a mass stampede of frightened horses during a late-night rehearsal for Italy’s annual Republic Day parade, injuring multiple riders and animals.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
However, the World Cup seems to have scared many of those other events away.—
Dylan Lysen,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
-
The rush of comments and backlash on it really scared the production.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Ridge Vineyards is rooted in tradition but not afraid to change with the times.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
The main character, Holly, belongs to a group of people — or perhaps a generation — afraid that life is always happening somewhere else.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Her voice startled me, both rough and smooth—like a bottle of whiskey set in front of a princess.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
The blast in Indonesia's restive eastern Papua region startled locals with a thunderous boom on Sunday afternoon, emitting a ball of flames followed by a thick smoke column, according to footage broadcast on Kompas TV.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bloomberg looked shocked as Alvarado lifted himself off of the mayor and quickly checked on him.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
One shocked professor said some young adults show up to class unable to read a single sentence.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024 inked a mutual defense treaty, and North Korea has provided thousands of soldiers and munitions to aid Russia’s war on Ukraine, a development that’s alarmed a West wary of a growing alignment between Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
As part of that crackdown, the FBI in January seized the electronic devices of a Washington Post reporter, a move that alarmed media organizations and advocates of press freedom.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Coming down from the peak of the AIDS crisis, LGBTQ+ community members were fearful of coming out of the closet through the 1990s due to the ongoing stigma facing homosexuality.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
-
Pashinyan also repeatedly sought to soothe those fearful of severing ties with Russia, Armenia’s historical protector.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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