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
James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
May has been equally terrifying for Ukrainian civilians.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
As the mysterious contract killer Vincent, Cruise brings his usual on-screen qualities — strict professionalism, precise physicality, ruthless persistence — but turns them on their head to embody a terrifying, amoral murderer.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 24 May 2025
Sometimes literally: The film’s centerpiece finds Ethan scaling the upper floors of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, a feat accomplished in true M:I style by actually dangling the world’s biggest movie star from a terrifying height.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
May has been equally terrifying for Ukrainian civilians.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
As the mysterious contract killer Vincent, Cruise brings his usual on-screen qualities — strict professionalism, precise physicality, ruthless persistence — but turns them on their head to embody a terrifying, amoral murderer.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 24 May 2025
Sometimes literally: The film’s centerpiece finds Ethan scaling the upper floors of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, a feat accomplished in true M:I style by actually dangling the world’s biggest movie star from a terrifying height.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrifying
Adjective
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The ensuing action is gory and frightening — and even Wong got a little spooked by Hawkins.—
Eric Andersson,
People.com,
31 May 2025
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This is incredibly damaging to career prospects and, given how little knowledge exists in mainstream medical and occupational health circles, can feel confusing and frightening for those who don’t know where to turn for advice.—
Nancy Doyle,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Make that the second scariest, as Claire’s antics bring another menacing character into their lives, when her dealer, Jackie (Domhnall Gleeson), shows up at Echo Valley looking for 10 grand in heroin.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
7 June 2025
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Both events offer live entertainment, themed food, and access to select park attractions with generally shorter wait times than during the day How scary is Universal Halloween Horror Nights?—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Sinha’s strategic interventions have substantially scaled up businesses, powering a formidable sales pipeline by assisting the company in landing enterprise-level engagements.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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Everything points to the fact that Karolína’s exceptional talent has caught the attention of the formidable and much admired choirmaster.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
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Even on a horrible team, someone has to score, get rebounds and assists.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Kids these days have attention spans crushed under the terrible weight of TikTok and Instgram.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Hristo Stoichkov played with an intimidating edge that could both win games and cross an unforgivable line.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the lawmakers’ behavior was egregious, disruptive, and potentially intimidating.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Christian Science Monitor,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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