as in terrified
filled with fear or dread
he sat rigid in his seat, horrified that the plane would crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in frightened
to strike with fear
the old black-and-white psychological thriller still horrifies audiences
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of horrified
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2025
Then her old, extremely offensive X posts resurfaced—and the buzz turned to horrified backlash.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
Sherman yelled at the audience members, many of whom were squealing in horrified glee.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Maggie's horrified family had to wait outside while investigators combed through the damage and eventually found her remains.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
After checking into his hotel room, a horrified guest soon noticed an unusual detail about the window—now the unpleasant discovery has gone viral on social media.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
As a distraught Jeffrey is grabbed by the cops, a horrified and heartbroken Leigh sits unseen in a cop car, mere yards away.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2025
To be honest with you, everyone on the cast is pretty horrified by her behavior.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 7 Nov. 2025
When the woman ran out of the apartment screaming for help, Burnside turned to his horrified step-daughter, who witnessed the attack on her mom, and began to repeatedly stab her about the body, face and head.
—Thomas Tracy, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 10 Jan. 2026
Parente said his client, Martinez, who survived the five gunshots and was exonerated, was horrified, but not surprised following Wednesday’s shooting.
—Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Flojaune Cofer, who lost a close race in 2024 for Sacramento mayor and has been mulling a run for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, said she was horrified by the news out of Venezuela.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Some viewers were horrified while others were intrigued.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Clooney is horrified by how David Ellison, Skydance’s founder and Paramount’s chairman, has moved to reshape its coverage by installing conservative commentator Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025
Zane's parents say they were not only horrified but felt compelled to go public and file a lawsuit after discovering his last conversation with ChatGPT, in September, in the wake of his suicide.
—Brian Brant, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
Her parents were horrified; in fact, Louis Bardot took a rifle to him.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025
The people who owned the land were horrified to think of our sleeping outside in the cold.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Yang plays Kieran Culkin’s stand-in, his arms nightmarishly chainsawed off as Ashley Padilla’s Catherine O’Hara equivalent lets out a series of horrified shrieks.
—Verb
The nine-time Grammy winner is far from the only person who was horrified by the footage of Good’s death.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrified
Adjective
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Understandably terrified, Scott-Miller closed the store to protect her and her family’s safety and peace of mind.—
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When workers are terrified, turnover rises, productivity falls and long-term investment stalls.—
Verb
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And my father—lovable but imposing, a strapping six feet three inches tall with a thick, bristly mustache and a rumbling Sergeant Schultz accent that frightened my friends half to death—loved to tell stories.—
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Fortune had reported in its investigation that people within the agency were frightened of examining Boring Company after two staffers who worked on the case had been disciplined.—
Adjective
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The opposition ranged from clinical and code-based to angry and afraid.—
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From animal prints to floral patterns and everything in between, don’t be afraid to let loose and have fun with patterns in your space.—
Verb
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What really scared me was telling my audience.—
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That caption scared me for a minute.—
Adjective
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The mom of two could be seen typing and looking animatedly at her screen, appearing shocked.—
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Fans on social media are mostly excited (and a little shocked) at this latest bakery item.—
Verb
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Authorities in southern Colorado are investigating after a sudden explosion damaged a building and startled nearby residents.—
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Leibfried was responding to a report of a domestic disturbance in the building and was startled by a loud bang that emanated from the closed door of an apartment.—
Adjective
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Experts are especially alarmed that the CDC is investigating splitting up the MMR vaccine, which protects kids against measles, mumps and rubella in one shot.—
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Phil, Myrtle’s son, who lived out of state, became alarmed when a concerned neighbor later notified him that his mother had vanished.—
Cite this Entry
“Horrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrified. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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