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
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
Other videos show visibly terrified students streaming out of the school campus, some holding and embracing each other.
—
CBS News,
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
The records also portray her as terrified for her life.
—
Liz McNeil,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Because the road into Hunt was unpassable, the Childresses were forced into a monstrous kind of purgatory among other terrified parents at Ingram Elementary School.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
For roughly the first three decades of his career, Spielberg tended to take a fairly sanguine view of aliens, refusing to succumb to the disaster-movie framework of aliens attacking terrified Earthlings.
—
Jesse Hassenger,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
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
My body had decided to be terrified anyway.
—
Allbusiness,
Forbes.com,
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
They were terrified of that song.
—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
In the immediate days after the flood, West devoted herself to getting food, gift cards, clothing, and money into the hands of her Hispanic neighbors—no matter their status—who were terrified by the law enforcement that had swarmed into Hunt.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Besides, Principal McGee is a classic Saturn authority figure — she's composed, responsible, image-conscious and secretly terrified that the entire school is one bad decision away from public embarrassment.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Loftis, now terrified, has one question left for Wyck.
—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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
Other videos show visibly terrified students streaming out of the school campus, some holding and embracing each other.
—
CBS News,
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
The records also portray her as terrified for her life.
—
Liz McNeil,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Because the road into Hunt was unpassable, the Childresses were forced into a monstrous kind of purgatory among other terrified parents at Ingram Elementary School.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
For roughly the first three decades of his career, Spielberg tended to take a fairly sanguine view of aliens, refusing to succumb to the disaster-movie framework of aliens attacking terrified Earthlings.
—
Jesse Hassenger,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Verb
The powerful tremor terrified Caracas residents inside their homes.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
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
My body had decided to be terrified anyway.
—
Allbusiness,
Forbes.com,
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
They were terrified of that song.
—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
In the immediate days after the flood, West devoted herself to getting food, gift cards, clothing, and money into the hands of her Hispanic neighbors—no matter their status—who were terrified by the law enforcement that had swarmed into Hunt.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Besides, Principal McGee is a classic Saturn authority figure — she's composed, responsible, image-conscious and secretly terrified that the entire school is one bad decision away from public embarrassment.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Loftis, now terrified, has one question left for Wyck.
—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
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Even young raccoons can bite or scratch when frightened, and wild animals can carry parasites and diseases, says Rakestraw.
-
When customers are frustrated, frightened, confused or considering leaving, those become high-risk moments.
Verb
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Karma came walking up on Jamon Coleman one day with pistols in hand, the only kind of moment that ever scared his son.
-
The scientists only got a passing glimpse of the goblin shark before the lights and loud noise from the ROV's motor scared it away, Auscavitch told ABC News.
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
-
Her mom was incredibly proud — and a bit shocked — that a Black man had been elected president.
-
While perusing an old friend’s social media account, she was shocked to see a little boy in the background of one of the photos.
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
-
The bitcoin price has fallen sharply in recent months, with traders fearful a further bitcoin price crash could be looming.
-
This finding specifically held true for people with fearful and preoccupied attachment styles, two subtypes of insecure attachment associated with a craving for intimacy but, respectively, a deep fear of it or a fear of rejection and abandonment.
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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