as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
horror-struck, the villagers watched helplessly as the tsunami hit the shore
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Recent Examples of horror-struck
For those of us who have spent the last 10 years horror-struck at the mass delusion that Trump is a great man rather than a singularly rapacious and volatile charlatan, Carlson’s words might seem cathartic.
—
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2026
Other people were horror-struck by the verdicts in each of these cases, seeing them as a catastrophic failure of the American system of justice.
—Susan Shelley, Orange County Register, 31 May 2024
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2026
Other people were horror-struck by the verdicts in each of these cases, seeing them as a catastrophic failure of the American system of justice.
—Susan Shelley, Orange County Register, 31 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horror-struck
Adjective
-
The Americans in that Nebraska unit are isolated and frightened.—
Craig Spencer,
STAT,
13 May 2026
-
While one held the frightened animal’s head, the other — wearing a sweatshirt with an image of the Virgin Mary — applied the iron to a horn.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
That said, Richie isn’t afraid to switch things up.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
19 May 2026
-
Zvyagintsev is not afraid of silence.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
If nothing else, the manager is box office entertainment and will not be scared to stamp his authority on what seems like a club in crisis.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Bowers told Vuong, who called the business and legal division while Bowers sent screeners to the horrified standards and practices department of the famously conservative broadcast network.—
Anna Peele,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The teaser trailer opens with Cooke and Lindsay Hubbard giving their shocked reactions to Batula and Wilson’s public statement about their romance, which came in March after cameras stopped rolling on the 10th season, which airs its finale tonight.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2026
-
Most people are genuinely shocked by what comes back.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Health experts are growing increasingly alarmed about the outbreak, arguing that cases have been spreading undetected as public health authorities are stretched thin.—
Lauren Weber,
Washington Post,
18 May 2026
-
Yohanan Plesner, the president of the Israel DemocracyInstitute, a nonpartisan think tank, is similarly alarmed.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Places like Kwigillingok and Kipnuk are stuck — wanting to rebuild and move on, but fearful of the next storm.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
Tate said that is probably because people like how things are going and are generally fearful of change.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Horror-struck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horror-struck. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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