terrified 1 of 2

adjective

as in frightened
filled with fear or dread terrified dogs hiding under the couch

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
There, a terrified teenage girl would be filmed fleeing before she was consumed by a blinding flash of light and then found dead, bearing unexplained marks on her body. — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 20 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 Fuelled by unhinged online hate and anti-Israel extremism, total violent hate crimes skyrocketed by 97% since 2022, forcing terrified Jewish communities around the world into hiding. — Staff, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 Once again playing a terrified woman, Lucky stops a man to ask for his help to save her from Cary. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The child runs back inside the bodega seeking safety before collapsing near the front counter as terrified customers scramble for cover. — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026 Appropriately terrified, Russ jumps backward, shattering the window. — Emma Banks, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026 Most people arrive terrified and as Dune famously advised, let their fear move over them and through them. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026
Verb
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 Grissom told Storyful that he was terrified for his beloved pet, who had not left his side since his wife died five years ago. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026 Video shows the moment terrified people ran for cover as the shots rang out. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 He is terrified by it, but at the same time tries to use this instrument of terror so as to be master of it in his turn. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026 Selling meant losing all of that in one signature, and some deep, unspoken part of her was terrified of what came next. — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 While some car companies have lobbied the government, terrified, asking to build protective walls to fend off cheap Chinese competition, others have looked at the problem from a different angle, trying to meet the moment. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
  1. frightened
  2. scared
  3. afraid
  4. startled
  5. horrified
  6. shocked
  7. alarmed
  8. fearful
Adjective
  • Hilton’s sister, Barbara Giarraffa, frightened fans and TikTok moderators were among those who called authorities.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Parents at evacuation centers in the village said many children were afraid to return indoors and woke up frightened whenever aftershocks rattled the island.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Verb
  • This would have been less than a mile from the nesting pine and might have scared the eagles away.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Durkin went 21-for-22 from less than 50 yards out, for those scared by Trey Smack’s 30-yard misses.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • The most impressive trick Paranormal Activity pulls off is making an entire theater — devotees and newcomers alike — afraid to look away, and giving them one hell of a good time while doing it.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • What’s left is a vaguely political YouTube series afraid of its own tail, incapable of being actually relatable and too cowardly to own the batshit truths of these people’s lives.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of afraid
Verb
  • Of those who were injured, officials said that many were hurt while falling down or hitting themselves against furniture after being startled by the earthquake while sleeping.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 23 Aug. 2026
  • There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of a super restful sleep cycle, whether you are startled by the neighbor’s dog or an unwanted text message.
    — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of startled
Adjective
  • 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
  • In one early scene, a horrified Pam stares into her bathroom mirror, covered head to toe in blood.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
Definition of horrified
Adjective
  • The man who was shocked was taken to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with life-threatening injuries.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But something fascinating was happening behind the scenes, coinciding with the disaster that had sent Olin overseas and left her bandmates, Augustin and Nathan Slone — located in New York City — shocked.
    — Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocked
Adjective
  • The proposal to paint the building has alarmed preservationists, architects, historians and others who argue that granite is not meant to be painted and that paint would trap moisture and degrade the stone.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Chan's death comes after celebrity blogger Perez Hilton also alarmed fans on a TikTok livestream when police were called to his home after reports of self-harm.
    — Moises Mendez II, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Adjective
  • The regime’s final refuge now lies in the self-deception of fearful nations that still believe accommodating aggression can secure a durable peace.
    — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Residents in the Chinatown International District and Belltown, the pair write, are fearful of drug use and crime that has gone unaddressed.
    — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of fearful

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terrified
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Cite this Entry

“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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