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
Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The terrifying incident occurred on the 600 block of Stratford Avenue in Woodbury Heights, a suburb in the southwestern part of New Jersey.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025
Yes, phishing attacks with emails that perfectly replicate the style, imagery and typeface of a major brand or organization are a terrifying new threat to email users, but not calling back the number in one of those emails is the simplest possible mitigation.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
The family eventually crosses paths with a corrupt theme-park operator (John Ortiz), his sheriff (Colin Hanks) and a terrifying crime boss (Sharon Stone) before chaos ensues.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
And arriving at the studio the next day to tape the show was terrifying, largely manifesting as flop sweat.
—Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 22 May 2025
The terrifying incident occurred on the 600 block of Stratford Avenue in Woodbury Heights, a suburb in the southwestern part of New Jersey.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025
Yes, phishing attacks with emails that perfectly replicate the style, imagery and typeface of a major brand or organization are a terrifying new threat to email users, but not calling back the number in one of those emails is the simplest possible mitigation.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
The family eventually crosses paths with a corrupt theme-park operator (John Ortiz), his sheriff (Colin Hanks) and a terrifying crime boss (Sharon Stone) before chaos ensues.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 15 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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But Game 3 of the Western Conference final was a scary reminder that McDavid has another side to his offensive arsenal.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
26 May 2025
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Unlike Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, this world is more foreboding than scary, but as guests quickly learn from its can’t-miss attraction Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, monsters still shouldn’t be crossed.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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There’s no doubt that Lewis, abandoned as a baby by his parents, has done some horrible stuff.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2025
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What happened to Simone as a child is horrible, and in her brain, she is therefore absolved of having anything to do with her father.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
24 May 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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Heavy truck traffic has also contributed to terrible pollution in California’s Central Valley.—
Francine Kiefer,
Christian Science Monitor,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps better than any other source of encouragement, parents can make counseling appear less intimidating and more important.—
Eric Wood,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
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The Cosmos, like its namesake, is nothing if not enormous and intimidating.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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