TERRIFIED Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

terrified 1 of 2

adjective

as in frightened

filled with fear or dread terrified dogs hiding under the couch

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

terrified

2 of 2

verb

past tense of terrify

as in scared

to strike with fear the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of terrified

Adjective

That hasn’t changed; people are still terrified of me in one way or another. — Tiana Denicola, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026 Nora was feeling less terrified of her former partner and increasingly hopeful that his abuse was in the past. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The Tiguerones made international headlines in early 2024 when masked gang members stormed a TV studio during a live broadcast, firing shots and forcing terrified crew to the ground. — CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026 In an escape bordering on the miraculous, the crash somehow spared motorists on Milam Dairy Road and terrified workers in a bustling industrial warehouse district west of the airport. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026 Instead, coaches have become more and more terrified through the years of seeing their players getting hurt during largely meaningless games in August. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Tempe police ultimately convinced the couple, who were initially too terrified to report the incident, to share what had happened to them, documents said. — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026 During the attack, terrified students huddled together under their desks, sobbing as gunshots rang out nearby, video filmed inside a classroom and verified by CNN showed. — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026 At a news conference, Twin Falls police released dramatic surveillance video that showed terrified employees diving for cover and shielding one another. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Verb

Elizabeth Pizzo was terrified earlier this year about what would happen to her son. — Jim Defede, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Elizabeth Pizzo was terrified this year about what would happen to her son. — Jim Defede, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026 So the whole point is for anyone with a fear of heights to sit in a theater for 90 minutes and be terrified? — Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 3 Sep. 2026 Looking back on taking over a character so closely associated with Parton, Hilty once admitted that the prospect of playing Doralee with Parton watching initially terrified her. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 Jaylen Edgar, the teenager tried for the 2024 Halloween mass shooting in downtown Orlando that killed two, injured several others and terrified thousands, was found guilty of all charges Monday. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026 Jurors in 2025 failed to reach verdicts in the case that terrified Davis in late April and early May 2023. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The first person confronted by Hughes appeared to be terrified. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Video shows the moment terrified people ran for cover as the shots rang out. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified

Adjective

Nations are sustained not just by declarations and famous generals, but by less celebrated moments when frightened, exhausted people decide not to give up.

— Harry Ostrer, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Also at top of mind was the film’s sound design, which is deliberately used as another tool to make the audience feel frightened and uncomfortable.

— William Earl, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of frightened

Verb

Russell’s previous things, HBO put money into, but the whole anti-DEI crusade has meant that a subject matter like this has made American companies scared to invest in it.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Researchers knew part of what scared children on 9/11 were the loud sirens and the fact that trusted figures such as firefighters and police officers were hurt.

— Julie Dobrow, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of scared

Adjective

Their Bell helicopters collided midair, sending flaming wreckage above the heads of horrified drivers on the Pasadena Freeway.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
When Tae-ha starts a fire that erupts into an explosion, a horrified Eun-sae begins to remember her life before amnesia.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of horrified

Adjective

My conversations and research left me much less shocked at that statistic that had sent chills down my spine a few weeks prior.

— Luba Kassova, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
There’ll still be conversations surrounding the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and most of us anticipate a lot of shocked reactions from those learning when our birthdays and wedding anniversaries take place.

— Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of shocked

Adjective

Going deeper Fortune's Eleanor Pringle reports that debt hawks are increasingly alarmed as the 10-year Treasury yield approaches 5%, warning the move could signal a brewing national debt spiral.

— Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
This week’s soaring temperatures alarmed students and parents of the Torrance Unified School District, where some campuses do not have air conditioning.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Adjective

This lack of awareness was on show in 2025, when, fearful of a trade war, Brussels squandered its own leverage and signed off on a lopsided framework with Washington.

— JONAS NAHM, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
The production’s creative team, led by the inexhaustibly inventive director José Luis Valenzuela, returns us to a world where the dead are owed sacred duties and the living are fearful to renege on this basic human responsibility.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of fearful

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terrifically

terrified

terrifies

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“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of terrified

adjective

verb

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