as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
the terrorized victims didn't know where to run during the bombing raid
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
thunderstorms terrorize our cats, who all scamper downstairs when lightning flashes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of terrorized
Doug Myers, CBS News, 6 June 2026
In the film, actress Midori Francis plays Hana, a medical student who becomes terrorized by a sinister force after partaking in the latest dieting fad — eating human ashes.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026
As the story goes, in the 17th century the dragon nightly terrorized Palma, devouring residents until sword-wielding knight Bartomeu Coch slew it, named it and gifted the dead monster to his fiancée, Na Coca Rossello.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
The scene recalled the gruesome rampages of the RSF’s forebears, the janjaweed militias who terrorized Sudan’s Darfur region a generation ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Jury selection continued Friday in Woodland ahead of Carlos Reales Dominguez’s second murder trial in the deadly Davis knife attacks that left two men dead, a woman grievously wounded and a city terrorized in 2023.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 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
The pirate Blackbeard terrorized much of the surrounding coastal South during the early 18th century and eventually met his end in the waters off the island in 1718.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026
The resulting feature is enigmatic and lightly campy, strange and hallucinatory, taking place in a liminal futuristic city that’s clogged with thick mist and terrorized by a violent serial killer named Leather Man.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 18 May 2026
Verb
Federal prosecutors say the violent Kiccdoe street gang that terrorized Arlington has effectively been dismantled, with 21 members and associates now convicted and one of its most notorious gunmen sentenced to life in prison.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 6 June 2026
In the film, actress Midori Francis plays Hana, a medical student who becomes terrorized by a sinister force after partaking in the latest dieting fad — eating human ashes.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026
As the story goes, in the 17th century the dragon nightly terrorized Palma, devouring residents until sword-wielding knight Bartomeu Coch slew it, named it and gifted the dead monster to his fiancée, Na Coca Rossello.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
The scene recalled the gruesome rampages of the RSF’s forebears, the janjaweed militias who terrorized Sudan’s Darfur region a generation ago.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Jury selection continued Friday in Woodland ahead of Carlos Reales Dominguez’s second murder trial in the deadly Davis knife attacks that left two men dead, a woman grievously wounded and a city terrorized in 2023.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 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
The pirate Blackbeard terrorized much of the surrounding coastal South during the early 18th century and eventually met his end in the waters off the island in 1718.
—Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026
The resulting feature is enigmatic and lightly campy, strange and hallucinatory, taking place in a liminal futuristic city that’s clogged with thick mist and terrorized by a violent serial killer named Leather Man.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorized
Adjective
-
The entries never become frightened.—
Kate Casey,
Vanity Fair,
2 June 2026
-
Fireworks set off without authorization in Rome reportedly triggered a mass stampede of frightened horses during a late-night rehearsal for Italy’s annual Republic Day parade, injuring multiple riders and animals.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
However, the World Cup seems to have scared many of those other events away.—
Dylan Lysen,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
-
The rush of comments and backlash on it really scared the production.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
An Orange County man downed 2 quarts of Jack Daniel’s before firing a gun multiple times inside his Laguna Niguel home, forcing terrified relatives to flee.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental.—
Kathleen Magramo,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Her voice startled me, both rough and smooth—like a bottle of whiskey set in front of a princess.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Ridge Vineyards is rooted in tradition but not afraid to change with the times.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
The main character, Holly, belongs to a group of people — or perhaps a generation — afraid that life is always happening somewhere else.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 June 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
-
Bloomberg looked shocked as Alvarado lifted himself off of the mayor and quickly checked on him.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
One shocked professor said some young adults show up to class unable to read a single sentence.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024 inked a mutual defense treaty, and North Korea has provided thousands of soldiers and munitions to aid Russia’s war on Ukraine, a development that’s alarmed a West wary of a growing alignment between Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Terrorized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorized. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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