terrifying

terrifying — adjective

1. causing such a strong feeling of fear or dread that a person feels shocked, froz

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

causing such a strong feeling of fear or dread that a person feels shocked, frozen, or unable to think clearly

Example

The family had a terrifying experience when their jeep nearly slid off the mountain road.

attributive use: terrifying + experience

Jenna woke up from a terrifying dream about being trapped in a burning building.

Common collocations
  • terrifying experience
  • terrifying thought
  • terrifying dream
  • terrifying moment
  • terrifying ordeal
  • terrifying prospect
  • terrifying scream
  • terrifying sight
Synonyms
  • frightening

    less intense than terrifying; more common in everyday conversation

  • horrifying

    carries additional shock or disgust beyond fear

  • petrifying

    even stronger than terrifying; suggests being frozen with fear

  • scary

    more informal and less extreme; suitable for everyday use

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

terrifying + noun (attributive)

be + terrifying (predicative)

absolutely / truly / quite + terrifying

Usage Note

Terrifying is a strong adjective, so in natural English it is not usually modified by 'very'. Instead, use 'absolutely', 'truly', or 'quite' (e.g. 'an absolutely terrifying film'). The intensity scale runs: scary → frightening → terrifying → petrifying, with terrifying indicating an extreme level of fear that may leave a person shocked or unable to react.

Common Mistakes

The horror movie was very terrifying.
The horror movie was absolutely terrifying.
'terrifying' is a strong adjective; 'very' sounds unnatural with it. Use 'absolutely' or 'truly' instead.
I am terrifying of spiders.
I am terrified of spiders.
'terrifying' describes the thing that causes fear, not the person experiencing it. Use 'terrified' for the person's feeling.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe something that causes fear, but they differ in intensity and connotation. 'Scary' (informal, wide range) is the mildest and most common in everyday speech: a scary film or a scary noise. 'Frightening' is slightly more formal and stronger, used for situations that cause genuine alarm. 'Terrifying' sits higher on the scale, suggesting a level of fear that leaves a person shocked or frozen. 'Horrifying' adds an element of moral shock or disgust — a horrifying accident or crime. 'Petrifying' is the most extreme, implying that fear makes you unable to move. For everyday use, 'scary' or 'frightening' work best; use 'terrifying' for intense fear, 'horrifying' when disgust accompanies fear, and 'petrifying' for paralysing terror.

frightening ↗horrifyingpetrifyingscary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the most terrifying thing
  • find something terrifying
  • a truly terrifying experience

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Terrifying comes from the verb 'terrify', which entered English from French 'terrifier', itself derived from Latin 'terrere' (meaning 'to frighten' or 'to fill with fear'). The '-ing' suffix turns the verb into an adjective describing something that causes the emotion. The Latin root also gave us 'terror' and 'terrible'.