as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
the terrorized victims didn't know where to run during the bombing raid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
thunderstorms terrorize our cats, who all scamper downstairs when lightning flashes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of terrorized
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
In 1995, Army veteran Shawn Nelson took a 57-ton M-60 tank from a California National Guard armory and terrorized San Diego for 23 minutes, barreling down residential streets, smashing into cars, street lights and fire hydrants on a miles-long path of destruction.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
This would have come as news to the Highland Scots who invaded England in 1745 or the Irish Whiteboys who terrorized landlords and tax collectors a few decades later.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
These attacks often provided a larger cultural pretext for the campaigns of extralegal political violence that terrorized Black voters in the South, assassinated political leaders, and marred the integrity of several of the region’s major elections.
—Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Several people are injured after a tornado in Mineral Wells, Texas, flattened a portion of the town Tuesday night, the sixth day of a severe storm outbreak that has terrorized the Midwest and South.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
The film called it Elias-Clark, the fictional publishing empire where Miranda terrorized assistants and designers with equal conviction.
—Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
In 1995, Army veteran Shawn Nelson took a 57-ton M-60 tank from a California National Guard armory and terrorized San Diego for 23 minutes, barreling down residential streets, smashing into cars, street lights and fire hydrants on a miles-long path of destruction.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
This would have come as news to the Highland Scots who invaded England in 1745 or the Irish Whiteboys who terrorized landlords and tax collectors a few decades later.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
These attacks often provided a larger cultural pretext for the campaigns of extralegal political violence that terrorized Black voters in the South, assassinated political leaders, and marred the integrity of several of the region’s major elections.
—Robert D. Bland, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
Several people are injured after a tornado in Mineral Wells, Texas, flattened a portion of the town Tuesday night, the sixth day of a severe storm outbreak that has terrorized the Midwest and South.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
The film called it Elias-Clark, the fictional publishing empire where Miranda terrorized assistants and designers with equal conviction.
—Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrorized
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
Verb
-
And then other people had been waiting a really long time and were scared of their rights being taken away or scared that their families wouldn't approve.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
Outside Idlib, most Syrians have never seen or met a Uyghur fighter before, and the conservative Sunni Muslim beliefs held by many Uyghurs in Syria have scared Syria's minority communities.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 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
Verb
-
Victor turned to her, startled.—
‘Pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Terrorized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrorized. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
