HORRIFYING Synonyms: 152 Similar and Opposite Words

horrifying 1 of 2

adjective

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

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

horrifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of horrify

as in frightening

to strike with fear the old black-and-white psychological thriller still horrifies audiences

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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 horrifying

Adjective

These horrifying yet beguiling events might just hold some secrets to understanding the universe. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Last May, Backrooms — about a horrifying liminal space that exists beyond our own reality — smashed box office records. — Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 18 Oct. 2026 The horrifying filing details how bullies harassed her with Nazi salutes, slurs, and brutal violence following the October 7 massacre. — Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Part of the horrifying incident, as Kariem struck the cart, was recorded on the coaster camera that captures images for riders, another witness told the station. — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 The horrifying thought, one Sumrall admitted he’s toyed with, is that Florida remains a step behind SEC competition across the board. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 Although a horrifying sea creature sits at the center of the show, this story is about a man desperate to cling to a decaying past, a grieving family and how greed can create monsters. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 Dozens of hostages went in alive, survived horrifying conditions and torture for hundreds of days, only to be murdered before they could be saved. — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 The most horrifying part of this whole episode isn’t Faye’s corpse, though. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

On Christmas Day, Neon will weigh in with the best of the three, Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, a humorous and ultimately horrifying account of 20 years of AI evolution and a scorching portrait of OpenAI founder Sam Altman. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 The crime scene was gruesome, horrifying those who were summoned to the Second Street home in the wake of the attacks. — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026 The complications are horrifying doctors. — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 24 June 2026 In the years since Boogie Nights, Leo has made an unlikely hit out of The Man in the Iron Mask, then took the role of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, showing off his range and turning that surreal and often horrifying movie into another $100 million feather in his cap. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026 The visage, created by Universal Studio’s then-lead makeup artist Jack Pierce for the 1931 film, was horrifying enough that its influence endured for almost 100 years. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horrifying

Adjective

Fifty years ago, scientists pioneering a terrifying gene-splicing technology figured out a way to collectively hit pause.

— Nick Fountain, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Don’t worry, the breakdown starts in a hurry and Cardellini is terrifying, if perhaps not as sympathetic as the series requires long-term.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrifying

Adjective

Among protesters, particularly gruesome wounds suffered by some teenagers have been blamed on police riot-control weapons.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Mars Attacks, released in 1962, was a huge hit with kids, though many parents objected to the gruesome artwork of Martians eviscerating Earthlings.

— Bob Woods, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of gruesome

Verb

Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.

— Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.

— Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026

Definition of frightening

Adjective

Desperate to get that handsome life back, Hagen undergoes an experimental procedure that initially works only to give way to a scary new reality with shape-shifting skin.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
When the company selling you the scary future publishes internal research saying the scary future has not shown up, that is a signal worth reading.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of scary

Adjective

What followed was a horrific night of physical and mental spousal abuse, which Adams describes in searing, emotional prose.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
Recently, Wahid was the lead defense attorney in the death penalty case of a Miami man who pleaded guilty to the horrific triple homicide of his estranged wife and her two young daughters.

— Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of horrific

Verb

Such actions are scaring people away from coming to court, whether as witnesses, defendants or observers, Bonta said, and amount to a blatant abuse of power.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
The Longhorns aren't scaring anyone on offense and Sarkisian has come under fire for his play calling.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of scaring

Adjective

There’s a big data center that just came to my community not long ago and their community engagement was horrible, absolutely horrible.

— Dustin DeSoto, Vox, 16 Oct. 2026
After the third day of squirting an experimental drug up his nose, Dylan Meetze felt horrible.

— Amy Maxmen, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

The series is notorious for its shocking plot twists (many of which bring dramatic, fatal ends to important characters).

— Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2026
Bajaria is said to have attended the town hall that Head of Scripted, UCAN Jinny Howe held Wednesday afternoon amid the layoffs, making her exit today feel abrupt and shocking to staffers.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of shocking

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Style

“Horrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horrifying. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of horrifying

adjective

verb

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