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
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
Apparently, Schlossberg wants Israel to live in a perpetual state of being terrorized.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
Nearly 30 minutes later, Dudinha, who had terrorized Angel City throughout the night, sent in a cross from the left flank that Van Zanten was able to get to, ahead of Angel City defender Evelyn Shores, knocking it past goalkeeper Angelina Anderson.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 10 May 2026
Verb
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
Apparently, Schlossberg wants Israel to live in a perpetual state of being terrorized.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
Nearly 30 minutes later, Dudinha, who had terrorized Angel City throughout the night, sent in a cross from the left flank that Van Zanten was able to get to, ahead of Angel City defender Evelyn Shores, knocking it past goalkeeper Angelina Anderson.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 10 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorized
Adjective
-
The frightened cat curled up along the shoulder of the freeway when it was seen, according to the Michigan Humane.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
-
The Americans in that Nebraska unit are isolated and frightened.—
Craig Spencer,
STAT,
13 May 2026
Verb
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But the apparent side effects scared him off.—
T.M. Brown,
CNN Money,
28 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
Adjective
-
In the mid-2000s, people across America watched a man in a trench coat hand a chat-log transcript to a terrified suspect holding a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Three men in Hawaii were killed within 48 hours, leaving devastated families in mourning and a terrified community on edge as police hunt for the suspect.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
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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
-
The scale of what is emerging in China’s northwestern desert has left even seasoned analysts startled.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Meanwhile, aggressive immigration enforcement has made some people afraid to seek care at all, worsening public health outcomes.—
Daniela Flores,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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People are often shocked to hear that Nixon froze the rent as part of his 1971 price controls.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
2 June 2026
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Back in north London, there was an initial shocked silence from the 35,000 watching the shootout at the Emirates Stadium, which was immediately followed by applause for their ‘King of Brazil’.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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Maritime users were particularly alarmed because the location data feature could counter GPS spoofing and jamming that have been occurring in waters in the Middle East, allowing boats to safely navigate despite electronic signal interference.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrorized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorized. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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