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
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
In May 2023, a homeowner in Spokane, Washington, was left terrified after two large moose appeared outside their home.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
But after days of feeling terrified and confused, Lo isn’t willing to take orders from a hooded figure.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Shoehorning in minutes for other quality forwards Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin and Klay Thompson (a theoretical shooting guard, but one whose coaches are terrified to have guard opposing wings) only gets more difficult.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Tell this to the most terrified person wearing a headset.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
Eyewitnesses told authorities Sanford got out of his truck shooting at members with an assault rifle then set off an inferno as terrified members rushed to get everyone out of the building.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
The campaign has included a massive overnight raid carried out by federal authorities at a Chicago apartment building earlier this week, which triggered condemnation from Democratic lawmakers and terrified residents.
—Whitney Wild, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Kim Kardashian was left terrified after learning someone put out a hit on her life.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
The brigade of heavily armed cops terrified the kids, causing Cooper to take stock of police tactics deployed in service of nabbing people who might be no more than casual pot smokers.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Hollywood has arguably played a role in helping keep the world rightly terrified of nukes for the last 80 years.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
The Mariners are terrified of the Carpenter versus Kirby matchup.
—The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
The weight of it terrified her; That Rock seemed to want to pull her somewhere deep inside the ground.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
This kitten must have been terrified—trapped inside a bag and flung over a fence near a busy station.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
At the same time, completely terrified and anxious.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
In May 2023, a homeowner in Spokane, Washington, was left terrified after two large moose appeared outside their home.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
But after days of feeling terrified and confused, Lo isn’t willing to take orders from a hooded figure.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Shoehorning in minutes for other quality forwards Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin and Klay Thompson (a theoretical shooting guard, but one whose coaches are terrified to have guard opposing wings) only gets more difficult.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Tell this to the most terrified person wearing a headset.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
Eyewitnesses told authorities Sanford got out of his truck shooting at members with an assault rifle then set off an inferno as terrified members rushed to get everyone out of the building.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
The campaign has included a massive overnight raid carried out by federal authorities at a Chicago apartment building earlier this week, which triggered condemnation from Democratic lawmakers and terrified residents.
—Whitney Wild, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Kim Kardashian was left terrified after learning someone put out a hit on her life.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
However, other homebuyers are terrified that the government shutdown may derail their homeownership dreams altogether.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
The brigade of heavily armed cops terrified the kids, causing Cooper to take stock of police tactics deployed in service of nabbing people who might be no more than casual pot smokers.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Hollywood has arguably played a role in helping keep the world rightly terrified of nukes for the last 80 years.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
The Mariners are terrified of the Carpenter versus Kirby matchup.
—The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
The weight of it terrified her; That Rock seemed to want to pull her somewhere deep inside the ground.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
This kitten must have been terrified—trapped inside a bag and flung over a fence near a busy station.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
-
Her parents were opposed to the Russian occupation but too frightened to talk about it.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
19 Oct. 2025
-
That included an incident in a press box at Yankee Stadium in 2013, when a frightened and fractured Kay had to be brought back to a team hotel, or an incident at the offices at Angel Stadium on Easter Day in 2019 when a sweating and erratic Kay was taken home and then hospitalized.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Few books have scared me as much.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
And don’t be ashamed to straight-up ask if the route is appropriate for someone who has never rock climbed or is scared of climbing a ladder.—
Jen Murphy,
Outside,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Heat coaches and players aren’t afraid to admit it.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Some in Silicon Valley, even those developing advanced AI, are genuinely afraid of where the technology might lead.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Whether a pup bolts after a squirrel, slips its collar, or runs off after being startled, those first few minutes can feel endless.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Who jumped, startled, when Rey laughed nervously.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The press has been deluged with letters from horrified subscribers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The horrified screams of Franklin’s children were also caught on the 911 recording.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The shocked look on Byrne’s face, captured in one take, is genuine.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Lewis and Picardo collapsed into tears, and Candy’s family was shocked.—
Makena Gera,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
However, its minimal restrictions have alarmed lawyers, researchers, and public figures.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The actor remembered that paramedics became alarmed after checking his vital signs, and he was rushed to the nearest hospital.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
These are not the words of a Premier League cheerleader, or indeed of someone fearful that English football will be left behind if La Liga and Serie A get their way.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
This hesitancy is common, Travers said, because people may be fearful of being judged or of having their trauma follow them later in life.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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