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
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2025
The terrifying moment passengers were forced to evacuate amid the malfunction can be seen in a video posted on X. While holding onto the metal railing, those who had been on the coaster are seen slowly walking down the evacuation steps after exiting the cars.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 28 July 2025
Damien Atkins will also join the cast as Magnus, Lestat’s elusive and terrifying maker.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 July 2025
But a week later, what had been named the Dragon Bravo Fire hit a patch of fuel and took on a terrifying character in new gusts of wind, surrounding overwhelmed firefighters on a helipad and heading with unstoppable force to the south.
—Tom Zoellner, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
Eleonora Boi posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed with her tongue sticking out on her Instagram page with an explanation of the terrifying event.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2025
The terrifying moment passengers were forced to evacuate amid the malfunction can be seen in a video posted on X. While holding onto the metal railing, those who had been on the coaster are seen slowly walking down the evacuation steps after exiting the cars.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 28 July 2025
Damien Atkins will also join the cast as Magnus, Lestat’s elusive and terrifying maker.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 July 2025
But a week later, what had been named the Dragon Bravo Fire hit a patch of fuel and took on a terrifying character in new gusts of wind, surrounding overwhelmed firefighters on a helipad and heading with unstoppable force to the south.
—Tom Zoellner, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrifying
Adjective
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Amy Madigan’s striking performance is both funny and frightening, her witch an ancient, otherworldly being that only really understands power.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
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Chad Michael Murray's journey to acting began with a frightening trip to the hospital.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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He’s really walked that tightrope of being scary but still keeping it fun.—
Simon Bland,
IndieWire,
6 Aug. 2025
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Unfortunately, the latter aspects suggested to a lot of potential viewers that Fantastic Four is a more dramatic and adult-skewing movie, where dangers and child-threat elements might be too scary or off-putting to the youngest kids and their parents.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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After decades of battling brutal conditions in the Bering Sea, Hansen, 59, is now facing something even more formidable than icy waves — his own mortality.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Huntington Beach: The Oilers remain formidable with the return of All-County duo of Roxie Shaia and Taylor Savage at quarterback and wide receiver, respectively. 4.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Xenomorphs in their various forms show up early and semi-often, along with several new beasts with their own deliciously horrible ways of killing.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Aug. 2025
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Soroka is a combined 3-18 with a 4.81 ERA the last two seasons with the White Sox and Nationals, two horrible teams.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While the latter is known for its legendarily terrible English localization, both of these were highly innovative horizontal scrolling shmups for their time.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Byrne has never been better, sharper, or more intimidating as a screen presence, carrying the movie with squints and frowns.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
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Even at just 5-4, Mirabal can be an intimidating presence.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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