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
James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
May has been equally terrifying for Ukrainian civilians.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
As the mysterious contract killer Vincent, Cruise brings his usual on-screen qualities — strict professionalism, precise physicality, ruthless persistence — but turns them on their head to embody a terrifying, amoral murderer.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 24 May 2025
Sometimes literally: The film’s centerpiece finds Ethan scaling the upper floors of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, a feat accomplished in true M:I style by actually dangling the world’s biggest movie star from a terrifying height.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
May has been equally terrifying for Ukrainian civilians.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
As the mysterious contract killer Vincent, Cruise brings his usual on-screen qualities — strict professionalism, precise physicality, ruthless persistence — but turns them on their head to embody a terrifying, amoral murderer.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 24 May 2025
Sometimes literally: The film’s centerpiece finds Ethan scaling the upper floors of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, a feat accomplished in true M:I style by actually dangling the world’s biggest movie star from a terrifying height.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrifying
Adjective
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How to check food labels for allergies Howard's story is frightening and not entirely uncommon.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
12 June 2025
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The frightening incident unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship on June 8.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Make that the second scariest, as Claire’s antics bring another menacing character into their lives, when her dealer, Jackie (Domhnall Gleeson), shows up at Echo Valley looking for 10 grand in heroin.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
7 June 2025
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Both events offer live entertainment, themed food, and access to select park attractions with generally shorter wait times than during the day How scary is Universal Halloween Horror Nights?—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Krishnamurthi is also a star cricket player for the U.S. senior national team, a contributor to their recent run of strong form that included a win over a formidable Pakistan team in the T20 World Cup last year.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
12 June 2025
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Soon after, he was joined by his brother, Tonga Loa, creating a formidable new tag team within the group.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
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We were made aware of this horrible activity by Priscilla Olivarez from ILRC, at our annual conference Convening 2025, held in San Antonio.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
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Outside of getting to play a grand slam event in his backyard, Thomas has been downright terrible in the sport's four biggest tournaments.—
Gerrit Ritt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Hristo Stoichkov played with an intimidating edge that could both win games and cross an unforgivable line.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the lawmakers’ behavior was egregious, disruptive, and potentially intimidating.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Christian Science Monitor,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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