1
as in terrifying
causing fear
couldn't sleep after reading a horrifying tale of evil a horrifying scream brought people running from all directions to see what was wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
the horrifying sight of a rat running through the restaurant's kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in frightening
to strike with fear
the old black-and-white psychological thriller still horrifies audiences
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Recent Examples of horrifying
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
And Sam’s idea was [to] tune it to sound horrifying.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Tomorrow marks one month since the horrifying assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Although the film’s setting and plot differ significantly from Gein’s real-life crimes, the filmmaker drew on his interest in human skin to make his Leatherface killer more horrifying.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
In a horrifying set of circumstances, his death was captured on a stranger’s livestream with some 500 people watching.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 5 Oct. 2025
Fear Farm has a new location, more horrifying haunts.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
These sorts of laws have also led to a spate of horrifying examples of mob violence based on blasphemy accusations, targeting Muslims, Christians, and others, even as recently as a month ago.
—Sean Nelson, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Lincoln plays a middle-aged stay-at-home-dad, whose anxieties bring him in contact with a new neighbor who harbors horrifying secrets.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Television cameras captured the ensuing violence, horrifying much of the nation.
—Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The grisly murder stayed a local story until horrifying CCTV footage of the incident started making the rounds on social media last weekend.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Mainstream Israeli media has increasingly spotlighted the dire starvation crisis in Gaza after months of Israel’s near-total aid blockade, horrifying some Israelis and triggering protests.
—Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
His latest film is about the most horrifying thing of all.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
And Sam’s idea was [to] tune it to sound horrifying.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Tomorrow marks one month since the horrifying assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Although the film’s setting and plot differ significantly from Gein’s real-life crimes, the filmmaker drew on his interest in human skin to make his Leatherface killer more horrifying.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
In a horrifying set of circumstances, his death was captured on a stranger’s livestream with some 500 people watching.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 5 Oct. 2025
Fear Farm has a new location, more horrifying haunts.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
These sorts of laws have also led to a spate of horrifying examples of mob violence based on blasphemy accusations, targeting Muslims, Christians, and others, even as recently as a month ago.
—Sean Nelson, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Lincoln plays a middle-aged stay-at-home-dad, whose anxieties bring him in contact with a new neighbor who harbors horrifying secrets.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
No special effects were required to trigger Curry's stark drift from amiability to horrifying emptiness.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
Television cameras captured the ensuing violence, horrifying much of the nation.
—Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The grisly murder stayed a local story until horrifying CCTV footage of the incident started making the rounds on social media last weekend.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Mainstream Israeli media has increasingly spotlighted the dire starvation crisis in Gaza after months of Israel’s near-total aid blockade, horrifying some Israelis and triggering protests.
—Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrifying
Adjective
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There was also the terrifying clip, captured in August 2021, showcasing when a bull moose charged at a bystander.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The drop was vertiginous and terrifying, but Young sidled right up to the edge.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For reasons that are still not fully understood, Gein then developed a gruesome interest in human bodies.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
-
What began with the worst attack on Israeli soil in the country’s history—when Hamas killed twelve hundred Israelis and took more than two hundred hostages on October 7, 2023—has led to a gruesome war.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kids will love sending this Dilophosaurus sauntering across the floor, frightening everything and everyone in his path.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
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Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Those wanting to level up the scary can opt for the RIP Experience, which is an intense, immersive and more interactive experience.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
15 Oct. 2025
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Jeanroy squats down, nudges Taïga aside, and starts digging with a cavadou—a sort of pick that resembles a very scary dental tool.—
Aislyn Greene,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The nature of his creation may be horrific, but his heart beats the same as ours.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Others argue that an end to the fighting, and to the horrific images from Gaza that have flooded social-media feeds for two years, could allow American boosters of Israel to regain their footing.—
David M. Halbfinger,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a follow-up video, the owner revealed a gentle method for waking the puppy without startling her.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And reminds us all once again of what an utterly horrible, small, bad, & insecure person Trump is.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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But during the difficult years, when a horrible cocktail of apathy and toxicity set in, attendance was notably lower.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And in a shocking twist, it was revealed that on one of the highest voting nights, no celebrity will be going home this week.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
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Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold became the first smartphone to explode during a JerryRigEverything durability test, marking a shocking moment in YouTuber Zack Nelson’s decade-long history of stress-testing devices.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrifying. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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