as in frightening
causing fear
heard a terrifying noise coming from the next room
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scaring
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 terrifying
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026
Singing publicly is terrifying.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 28 May 2026
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
But across the political divide, the bombings are terrifying for many Iranians, with civilian casualities on the rise.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
Think of a raptor dinosaur, and your mind likely conjures a terrifying image.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026
Singing publicly is terrifying.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 28 May 2026
Verb
Pic was written and directed by horror filmmaker Ian Tuason, and follows the host (Nina Kiri) of a popular paranormal podcast who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
But across the political divide, the bombings are terrifying for many Iranians, with civilian casualities on the rise.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrifying
Adjective
-
The Boroughs is not a frightening show, monster snack-time portrayals notwithstanding.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
The father of two and community activist said the encounters can range from embarrassing and annoying to downright frightening.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
That combination—higher costs, fewer flights, and steady demand—has given airlines more room to raise fares without scaring off travelers.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 May 2026
-
Schwarzenegger’s strategy energized Californians who wanted to punish incumbent Democrats, but avoided scaring too many of the state’s median voters.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Anyone who’s witnessed the performing animatronics at a Showbiz Pizza can tell you the scariest pop culture of all is the kind made for children.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Her scary reputation has become a recurring theme this season, and for good reason.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Cuban military, once a formidable expeditionary force during Cold War campaigns in Africa, now struggles with chronic fuel shortages, aging equipment, limited mobility and poor readiness, Pérez said.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
-
The elder Jackson, one of Chicago’s most famous civil rights icons, died in February and left his formidable organization to his son Yusef.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
His slugging percentage is horrible.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
Some of it had to do with horrible tragedy, some because hopefuls could not see the math working out for them.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mayor and Governor are terrible.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
-
From scandals, to corny tactics and platforms, to terrible analysis, this gubernatorial race has been a contest to forget.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
When safety is embedded into the workplace culture, changing regulations become less intimidating because the organization is already oriented around protecting people.—
John F. McQuillan,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The context makes their league triumph all the more impressive and all the more intimidating.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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