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
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Despite Nikki's increasingly erratic and terrifying behavior, their friends' concerns, and his own realization that her affection is totally artificial, Bear doesn't seem to care that his dream relationship is not only fake, but highly abusive.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
But across the political divide, the bombings are terrifying for many Iranians, with civilian casualities on the rise.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Adjective
Again, a terrifying (and resonant) thought that the film largely reduces to a few genre clichés.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Despite Nikki's increasingly erratic and terrifying behavior, their friends' concerns, and his own realization that her affection is totally artificial, Bear doesn't seem to care that his dream relationship is not only fake, but highly abusive.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
Verb
Pic was written and directed by horror filmmaker Ian Tuason, and follows the host (Nina Kiri) of a popular paranormal podcast who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
But across the political divide, the bombings are terrifying for many Iranians, with civilian casualities on the rise.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrifying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrifying
Adjective
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Eidinger is perfect for the role, and his escalating temper tantrums — almost camp at first, with delicious echoes of Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa — become frightening in their intensity.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
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But at Medley Club, residents never lost power during the entire frightening ordeal.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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That combination—higher costs, fewer flights, and steady demand—has given airlines more room to raise fares without scaring off travelers.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 May 2026
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Schwarzenegger’s strategy energized Californians who wanted to punish incumbent Democrats, but avoided scaring too many of the state’s median voters.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Part of what makes Nikki so scary is that these intense moments seem to come out of nowhere.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
18 May 2026
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Two friends from Auburn and Berkeley were meeting halfway for a picnic in Sacramento but said even driving there in the strong wind was scary.—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Rossellini plays the formidable Madame de Noailles, an old-school aristocrat devoted to Marie Antoinette and haunted by a lost love.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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Vegas will remain formidable because of its eternal win-now mandate.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Which is horrible, just that amount of women being murdered.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 May 2026
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Hmmm, a book about climate change, economic hardship, labor shortages, rising food prices, and a family having a horrible time?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Residents describe ‘a terrible night’ More than 30 people were injured in the apartment building collapse, while emergency workers rescued 28 residents, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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And some were not kind to him on social media following the terrible first round.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Restitution can be a very intimidating process, for which there are very few ways to find out where to start, who to talk to.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
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His matchups this week aren’t too intimidating.—
Andy Behrens,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrifying. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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