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
Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Three men in Hawaii were killed within 48 hours, leaving devastated families in mourning and a terrified community on edge as police hunt for the suspect.
—Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
Discovered on board were three terrified young Mexican women and Cochran, who had died 10 days prior.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
So many clubs these days seem terrified of signing older players.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 24 May 2026
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 May 2026
The four lead the group of terrified and tiny boys, some who look as young or four- or five-years-old.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Aliens, dystopian nightmares, and twisted realities are more than likely provoking a reaction from viewers that flies a lot closer to terrified.
—Grace Dean, Space.com, 2 May 2026
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 June 2026
High school senior Lexa is terrified about stepping into the lead role in her school’s spring production.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
The painting is assumed to depict the Greek myth of a Titan who eats his own offspring, terrified that one of his children will overthrow him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
It was made that much worse when several cast members laughed at her insincerity and Maddi Reese interrupted it several times because there was a stray cat nearby that terrified her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The family faced another painful choice Back with their mother, Majda’s daughters were terrified at any talk of going back to their husbands.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Because quarterbacks were terrified to throw anywhere near him.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Myers nails the realistic teen who is a far cry from the unflappable Nancy Drew, screwing up plenty and often terrified of what she's gotten herself into.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Adjective
In the mid-2000s, people across America watched a man in a trench coat hand a chat-log transcript to a terrified suspect holding a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Three men in Hawaii were killed within 48 hours, leaving devastated families in mourning and a terrified community on edge as police hunt for the suspect.
—Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
Discovered on board were three terrified young Mexican women and Cochran, who had died 10 days prior.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
So many clubs these days seem terrified of signing older players.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 24 May 2026
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 May 2026
The four lead the group of terrified and tiny boys, some who look as young or four- or five-years-old.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Aliens, dystopian nightmares, and twisted realities are more than likely provoking a reaction from viewers that flies a lot closer to terrified.
—Grace Dean, Space.com, 2 May 2026
Verb
Jim Barne and Kit Buchan were terrified of being outed as frauds.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 June 2026
High school senior Lexa is terrified about stepping into the lead role in her school’s spring production.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
The painting is assumed to depict the Greek myth of a Titan who eats his own offspring, terrified that one of his children will overthrow him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
It was made that much worse when several cast members laughed at her insincerity and Maddi Reese interrupted it several times because there was a stray cat nearby that terrified her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The family faced another painful choice Back with their mother, Majda’s daughters were terrified at any talk of going back to their husbands.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Because quarterbacks were terrified to throw anywhere near him.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Myers nails the realistic teen who is a far cry from the unflappable Nancy Drew, screwing up plenty and often terrified of what she's gotten herself into.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
-
The frightened cat curled up along the shoulder of the freeway when it was seen, according to the Michigan Humane.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
-
The Americans in that Nebraska unit are isolated and frightened.—
Craig Spencer,
STAT,
13 May 2026
Verb
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But the apparent side effects scared him off.—
T.M. Brown,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
That same year, Wait Until Dark scared me to death when bad guys terrorized a blind Audrey Hepburn.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Meanwhile, aggressive immigration enforcement has made some people afraid to seek care at all, worsening public health outcomes.—
Daniela Flores,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The blast in Indonesia's restive eastern Papua region startled locals with a thunderous boom on Sunday afternoon, emitting a ball of flames followed by a thick smoke column, according to footage broadcast on Kompas TV.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
-
The scale of what is emerging in China’s northwestern desert has left even seasoned analysts startled.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
People are often shocked to hear that Nixon froze the rent as part of his 1971 price controls.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
2 June 2026
-
Back in north London, there was an initial shocked silence from the 35,000 watching the shootout at the Emirates Stadium, which was immediately followed by applause for their ‘King of Brazil’.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
As part of that crackdown, the FBI in January seized the electronic devices of a Washington Post reporter, a move that alarmed media organizations and advocates of press freedom.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
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Maritime users were particularly alarmed because the location data feature could counter GPS spoofing and jamming that have been occurring in waters in the Middle East, allowing boats to safely navigate despite electronic signal interference.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Carpenter says the disturbing encounters left her fearful for her safety and that of relatives living with her, as police label the suspect’s fixation irrational and increasingly dangerous.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
At the time, the diagnosis was much more taboo, discussed only with hushed, fearful voices.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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