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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of terrified
Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
With every temptation, Jesus is lured into a forbidden world, and a terrified Joseph soon realizes that a demonic power is at work.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Catherine asks, which Teddy answers with a silent, terrified stare.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
For example, just hours after a raid, churches would open their doors so parishioners too terrified to go home could sleep in the pews.
—William D. Lopez, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
Here, Johnny tries to go for it again with that same urgency, only for Gheorghe to insist on gentleness, tenderness, and yes, an actual first kiss, even as Johnny is visibly terrified.
—James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025
Captains of industry all look terrified of pissing off the wrong powerful guy.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
But that isn’t always the case, as one Rottweiler’s terrified reaction to its kitten sibling has left internet users in hysterics.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
The question — which is planted in the pre-credits opening scene with a terrified teen (Gage Munroe’s Riley) fleeing the school and running into freaky things in the dead of night — is what, exactly, the strange things happening at Tall Pines Academy and in Tall Pines itself actually are.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
Eli Sharabi, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Aldo had spent his time in the States terrified that he would be deported back to Cuba and jailed.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Writing fiction terrified me and still does.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
In a TikTok video, the bully's owner shared a clip that challenges the breed's aggressive reputation—by showing her dog terrified of her new puppy.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
It is billed as a story about soaring romance, crushing heartbreak and what love might feel like when everyone outside of your family is terrified of you.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Sep. 2025
Sponsors, television was terrified of us.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In that episode, the college football fans are terrified to find themselves in Pro Town, a place where people go to yoga on Saturdays.
—Kristi Dosh, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Murillo recalled a Cuban grandmother whose grandchildren were terrified to go to school after their father was detained in front of them at their own home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
—Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Kim Kardashian was left terrified after learning someone put out a hit on her life.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
With every temptation, Jesus is lured into a forbidden world, and a terrified Joseph soon realizes that a demonic power is at work.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Catherine asks, which Teddy answers with a silent, terrified stare.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
For example, just hours after a raid, churches would open their doors so parishioners too terrified to go home could sleep in the pews.
—William D. Lopez, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
Here, Johnny tries to go for it again with that same urgency, only for Gheorghe to insist on gentleness, tenderness, and yes, an actual first kiss, even as Johnny is visibly terrified.
—James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025
Captains of industry all look terrified of pissing off the wrong powerful guy.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
But that isn’t always the case, as one Rottweiler’s terrified reaction to its kitten sibling has left internet users in hysterics.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
The question — which is planted in the pre-credits opening scene with a terrified teen (Gage Munroe’s Riley) fleeing the school and running into freaky things in the dead of night — is what, exactly, the strange things happening at Tall Pines Academy and in Tall Pines itself actually are.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
Sharabi, who is terrified of being held in a tunnel, is being moved to one.
—Eli Sharabi, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Aldo had spent his time in the States terrified that he would be deported back to Cuba and jailed.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Writing fiction terrified me and still does.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
In a TikTok video, the bully's owner shared a clip that challenges the breed's aggressive reputation—by showing her dog terrified of her new puppy.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
It is billed as a story about soaring romance, crushing heartbreak and what love might feel like when everyone outside of your family is terrified of you.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Sep. 2025
Sponsors, television was terrified of us.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In that episode, the college football fans are terrified to find themselves in Pro Town, a place where people go to yoga on Saturdays.
—Kristi Dosh, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Murillo recalled a Cuban grandmother whose grandchildren were terrified to go to school after their father was detained in front of them at their own home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
—Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
-
Hundreds of frightened residents gathered in a grassy field near the fire station and refused to return home hours after the quake struck Bogo in Cebu province.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
So stay calm, control your breathing, don’t be frightened.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood; however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
-
There are certainly no major factors like physical abuse during our childhood, however, our mother had some psychological problems and showed some anger and paranoia symptoms, which scared us as children and were overt enough that many in our town knew about her.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even with more women 55 and older in the workforce than ever before, women often are afraid to talk about menopause in the office.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Bohemian homes are never afraid of color, particularly when AD100 designer Justina Blakeney is involved.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
First baseman Michael Toglia covered his head, too, and was startled when the ball landed a few feet from him.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Sleep may be disturbed by a pet's movements, and dogs may bite if startled.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
He is then seen collapsing on the dance floor in front of horrified guests.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The Prime Video series ends with a horrified Daniel looking at Cherry, who's shown smiling at him with her hands calmly resting on very pregnant belly.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Their shocked reaction doesn’t stop Hersh’s mother.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Goodall, whose own site was relatively protected, was shocked.—
Michelle Nijhuis,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This is nothing to be alarmed over.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
3 Oct. 2025
-
China, in particular, has in recent years alarmed Washington with its rapid progress in chip and AI technologies, prompting the blacklisting of Huawei in 2019 and hundreds of others in subsequent years.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
While mountain lions are highly adaptable to various ecosystems, their numbers declined historically due to being hunted by fearful humans.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Several days pass; the nights alone in the wilderness are especially fearful.—
Judith Thurman,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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