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
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
Videos show terrified residents and collapsed buildings across Venezuela as powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck the northern coast of the country.
—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
The latter sequence is edge-of-your-seat stuff, expertly shot with terrified eye-to-eye closeups.
—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
The shelter said Hennessy was terrified and confused and wouldn't let anyone comfort her.
—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
Sunday, June 21, at a home in LaGrange, and the suspect’s 2-year-old daughter was among the terrified witnesses, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office said in court documents.
—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
23 June 2026
Psilocybin, in particular, appears to be highly effective for helping people with terminal illnesses feel less terrified of dying.
—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Many scenes grind to a halt with the shy girl too terrified to speak.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
The violence sent terrified bystanders fleeing while others rushed to help the injured alongside medics and police.
—
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Tanya Fedak,
Variety,
29 June 2026
Supporters — many of them wearing Colombia’s yellow and red colors — rushed the gates at the home stadium of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, leaving fans terrified and bloodied as security struggled to contain the rush.
—
Nbc News,
NBC news,
28 June 2026
Suddenly the seller is tiptoeing, managing the buyer's mood, terrified of saying the wrong thing and scaring them off.
—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Supporters — many of them wearing Colombia’s yellow and red colors — rushed the gates at the home stadium of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, leaving fans terrified and bloodied as security struggled to contain the rush.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
In La Guaira, entire sections of Catia la Mar remained without electricity on Thursday after many residents spent Wednesday night sleeping in streets, cars or near damaged buildings, terrified of further collapses.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
The staff is terrified about their future, particularly chef Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), traumatized by her last stint of unemployment.
—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
This is a necessary evil of the apron era, with teams terrified of going into the first- and second-apron payroll thresholds to retain their rosters.
—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Jaws terrified audiences when it was released during the early summer of 1975, but no one was more haunted by the film than its director, Steven Spielberg.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Adjective
Campbell found the minister on the ground, terrified and in pain.
—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
28 June 2026
Videos show terrified residents and collapsed buildings across Venezuela as powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck the northern coast of the country.
—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
The latter sequence is edge-of-your-seat stuff, expertly shot with terrified eye-to-eye closeups.
—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
The shelter said Hennessy was terrified and confused and wouldn't let anyone comfort her.
—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
Sunday, June 21, at a home in LaGrange, and the suspect’s 2-year-old daughter was among the terrified witnesses, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office said in court documents.
—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
23 June 2026
Psilocybin, in particular, appears to be highly effective for helping people with terminal illnesses feel less terrified of dying.
—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Many scenes grind to a halt with the shy girl too terrified to speak.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
The violence sent terrified bystanders fleeing while others rushed to help the injured alongside medics and police.
—
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Verb
The trailer teases Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular creature, who undergoes an intense transformation that leaves the townspeople terrified.
—
Tanya Fedak,
Variety,
29 June 2026
Supporters — many of them wearing Colombia’s yellow and red colors — rushed the gates at the home stadium of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, leaving fans terrified and bloodied as security struggled to contain the rush.
—
Nbc News,
NBC news,
28 June 2026
Suddenly the seller is tiptoeing, managing the buyer's mood, terrified of saying the wrong thing and scaring them off.
—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Supporters — many of them wearing Colombia’s yellow and red colors — rushed the gates at the home stadium of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, leaving fans terrified and bloodied as security struggled to contain the rush.
—
ABC News,
26 June 2026
In La Guaira, entire sections of Catia la Mar remained without electricity on Thursday after many residents spent Wednesday night sleeping in streets, cars or near damaged buildings, terrified of further collapses.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
The staff is terrified about their future, particularly chef Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), traumatized by her last stint of unemployment.
—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
25 June 2026
This is a necessary evil of the apron era, with teams terrified of going into the first- and second-apron payroll thresholds to retain their rosters.
—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Jaws terrified audiences when it was released during the early summer of 1975, but no one was more haunted by the film than its director, Steven Spielberg.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
-
Rodríguez acknowledged that many remain too frightened to return home even after inspections declared some buildings safe.
-
Some days are spent inside an Ebola Treatment Unit caring for patients who are frightened, isolated, and desperately ill.
Verb
-
Don’t be scared by his blue eyes.
-
Lendeborg being 24 when camp opens rightly scared away some of the rebuilding teams picking ahead of Golden State, especially in concert with his iffy outside shot.
Adjective
-
That's the part so many seem afraid to say out loud.
-
The people who worked for cooperatives were particularly afraid.
Verb
-
To his luck, the sound finally startled the bear and sent it running.
-
Officials apparently were startled when more than 2,000 mostly young fans did just that.
Adjective
-
The first police officer on the scene quickly ran back to the station for help, while neighbors calmed the horrified Lizzie.
-
As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.
Adjective
-
Pochettino says while making a shocked face.
-
Her mom was incredibly proud — and a bit shocked — that a Black man had been elected president.
Adjective
-
Scenes involving firearms alarmed distributors still grappling with the aftermath of the Columbine massacre, while the film’s October release via Newmarket was further complicated by a trailer prominently featuring an airplane crash just weeks after the September 11 attacks.
-
That relationship lasted until 2016, when Mobileye dropped Tesla as a customer after being alarmed that a driver assistance system was being sold to end users as driverless technology.
Adjective
-
Many are fearful of being out in places with heightened law enforcement or even sending their children to school.
-
Despite a strong climate track record, Starmer had avoided talking much about the issue publicly, fearful of how voters would receive it.
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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