as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
terrified dogs hiding under the couch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
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 terrified
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Though Ridley Scott works in a drastically different tone than the one John Carpenter brought to Dark Star, the two films share screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s darkly comedic view of a future that has reduced humans to alternately bored and terrified cogs in larger machines.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
If your social feeds have been overtaken by a seven-foot-tall orange furry creature with unhinged googly eyes chasing terrified hockey fans down a hallway, congratulations — you’ve been introduced to playoff Gritty.
—Ryan Brennan
april 23, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The pressures of fame and the pains of Michael’s brand of friendlessness are barely explored, beyond the requisite scenes of screaming fans crowding outside the family estate and a terrified Michael attempting to get away from them (while still politely waving).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
The story opens with a knock on the door that produces a terrified scream from a kid waiting inside.
—Elise Broach, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Though American Pie was all fun and games once the cameras started rolling, Shannon Elizabeth recalls being pretty terrified while trying to land a part in the hit ʼ90s comedy.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Another video, filmed inside the bus and shared on TikTok, captured the terrified screams of students who were riding the bus at the time.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
This publicity brought a flood of calls from hundreds of terrified men around the country—many living in states where being gay was a crime that could land you in a psychiatric hospital or jail.
—Donna Lamb, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Justin Kroll, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
No matter who was in charge, the Miami Dolphins franchise have been terrified of quarterback competition for nearly two decades, and that might explain why South Florida’s NFL franchise hasn’t won a playoff game in 25 years.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Outcome focuses on a Hollywood star terrified of being canceled.
—Josh Spiegel, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2026
Less than a week after the Rangers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, Adam Sýkora stood 100 stories above downtown Manhattan, terrified.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Residents of Tehran, the Iranian capital, say they are exhausted by the bombs that have battered their city on a daily basis and terrified of the security checkpoints that have popped up looking for spies.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
If the trend continues this Saturday, Republicans should be terrified.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 24 Mar. 2026
He was terrified after hearing stories about people dying in the Oklahoma County jail, which was by then recognized as one of the deadliest in the nation.
—Brianna Bailey, The Frontier, 24 Mar. 2026
Since his detainment, Maria said that she's been terrified of leaving the home.
—Conor Wight, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The key cabin crew are flight attendants Penny (Lucy Barrett) and Zoe (Na Shi), both of whom demonstrate bravery, to different ends, and show caring attention to the terrified children.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Though Ridley Scott works in a drastically different tone than the one John Carpenter brought to Dark Star, the two films share screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s darkly comedic view of a future that has reduced humans to alternately bored and terrified cogs in larger machines.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
If your social feeds have been overtaken by a seven-foot-tall orange furry creature with unhinged googly eyes chasing terrified hockey fans down a hallway, congratulations — you’ve been introduced to playoff Gritty.
—Ryan Brennan
april 23, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The pressures of fame and the pains of Michael’s brand of friendlessness are barely explored, beyond the requisite scenes of screaming fans crowding outside the family estate and a terrified Michael attempting to get away from them (while still politely waving).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
The story opens with a knock on the door that produces a terrified scream from a kid waiting inside.
—Elise Broach, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Though American Pie was all fun and games once the cameras started rolling, Shannon Elizabeth recalls being pretty terrified while trying to land a part in the hit ʼ90s comedy.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Another video, filmed inside the bus and shared on TikTok, captured the terrified screams of students who were riding the bus at the time.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
This publicity brought a flood of calls from hundreds of terrified men around the country—many living in states where being gay was a crime that could land you in a psychiatric hospital or jail.
—Donna Lamb, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Monitor was always meant to be experienced with a room full of people being terrified together.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
No matter who was in charge, the Miami Dolphins franchise have been terrified of quarterback competition for nearly two decades, and that might explain why South Florida’s NFL franchise hasn’t won a playoff game in 25 years.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Outcome focuses on a Hollywood star terrified of being canceled.
—Josh Spiegel, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2026
Less than a week after the Rangers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, Adam Sýkora stood 100 stories above downtown Manhattan, terrified.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Residents of Tehran, the Iranian capital, say they are exhausted by the bombs that have battered their city on a daily basis and terrified of the security checkpoints that have popped up looking for spies.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
If the trend continues this Saturday, Republicans should be terrified.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 24 Mar. 2026
He was terrified after hearing stories about people dying in the Oklahoma County jail, which was by then recognized as one of the deadliest in the nation.
—Brianna Bailey, The Frontier, 24 Mar. 2026
Since his detainment, Maria said that she's been terrified of leaving the home.
—Conor Wight, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrified
Adjective
-
Fetch Foster Rescue has taken in animals from households whose homes were completely destroyed, and the organization’s immediate focus is keeping those frightened pets as relaxed as possible while storm cleanup continues across the community.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Witnesses describe the dogs as frightened and wary rather than dangerous — a pair of scared animals looking for food, not a fight.—
Ryan Brennan
April 21,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the goring, the animal retreated back into the reserve when scared off by other patrol members.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
-
After the goring, the rhino retreated back into the reserve when other patrol members scared it off.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Umpires, afraid of being overturned, or at least, more aware of the new zone and its limitations, have been calling fewer strikes.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Almost half are personally afraid of losing their job to AI, ranking it among the most acute individual stressors measured in the survey.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Littrell walked up to the man, who appeared to be startled by the singer's presence.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Let’s not confuse slightly horrified admiration for Irina’s determination with admiration for her as a person.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
-
As the scene was projected onto a screen, Jude seemed slightly horrified to see himself in front of the camera rather than behind it.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The pair shared a sweet slideshow on Instagram in December 2023 that showed Wilson getting down on one knee in front of a Christmas tree to ask a shocked van der Pol to marry him.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
-
His death has left many shocked and outraged.—
Naveen Dhaliwal,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When the shots rang out, the first lady looked alarmed.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The company in March Nielsen delayed the release of the February results of its popular tabulation after some clients became alarmed by a downturn in streaming audiences following a decision by the measurement giant to add new data to its mix.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My agent, Marty Diamond, had to face down a steady stream of ‘no’s from fearful artist reps.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The question of whether Balzac’s fear was real is perhaps less interesting than the work the story does to position the fearful encounter as simply a symptom of innovation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrified. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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