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
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025
Cities on the sanctuary city list right now are experiencing a terrifying increase in raids by ICE, including mass raids.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 22 July 2025
The three governments, working under great pressure, devoted unprecedented resources to create the terrifying weapon used with terrible effect to decisively end the war with Imperial Japan in August 1945.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 15 July 2025
For Bertram, whose family winery has roots deep in the terraced vineyards of the valley, the night was a blur of frantic decisions and terrifying uncertainty.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
The Black Sabbath front man, who died yesterday at age 76, helped invent heavy metal—a sound and a countercultural identity with terrifying connotations.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025
Cities on the sanctuary city list right now are experiencing a terrifying increase in raids by ICE, including mass raids.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 22 July 2025
The three governments, working under great pressure, devoted unprecedented resources to create the terrifying weapon used with terrible effect to decisively end the war with Imperial Japan in August 1945.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 15 July 2025
For Bertram, whose family winery has roots deep in the terraced vineyards of the valley, the night was a blur of frantic decisions and terrifying uncertainty.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrifying
Adjective
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Through it all, the Jurassic Park franchise continued to break new ground, surprising and captivating audiences with fresh, new and unexpected developments in each installment, made all the more vivid, realistic and frightening with the latest in CGI and believable acting.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 July 2025
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Perhaps most frightening of all is the fact that, in rural areas, such calamity occurs before any official help can arrive.—
Jessica Pishko,
New Yorker,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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The scary thing about Jefferson's injury is that he was also kept out of multiple games in 2023 due to a hamstring injury.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
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Dad is the one who's going to pretend to be a predator stalking the child and pretending to be a big, scary monster.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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The Cubs were always going to be a far more formidable opponent than the Nationals and Rockies, against whom the Red Sox collected the first six of their 10-game win streak before the All-Star break.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
20 July 2025
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This year promises to be quite a battle between the two formidable opponents, as Erwin Hymer brands have previewed gorgeous new launches like the Bürstner Signature and Dethleffs E.Home Eco.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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Because of Denise Gough's human frailty as a woman destroyed by her own ambition and Kyle Soller's cowardice in the face of a horrible truth.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
23 July 2025
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Soak up the gall of losing, absorb the horrible information, feel it to the full, go there—and then rebound, with superb elasticity.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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If Trump takes Powell’s scalp, most observers warn, terrible things will unfold because of the ballooning national debt.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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But when terrible news arrives about her ex, all eyes turn to Ana — whose reputation isn't exactly sterling.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Recently, Altra added low drop shoes to its offerings, which can be less intimidating that flat, zero-drop shoes for beginners.—
Lauren Wingenroth,
SELF,
25 July 2025
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The library’s glorious 1911 Beaux Arts building on Fifth Avenue, while free and open to the public, is physically intimidating—cold in its marble grandeur, confusing in its labyrinthine layout.—
Brian Schaefer
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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