terrified
English meaning: Terrified
Definition
Feeling very great fear or terror.
Example
“She was terrified of the loud thunder.”
Another example: “He was terrified of public speaking and avoided it whenever he could.”
Usage — When, Where & How
An everyday adjective describing a person overwhelmed by fear. Used in all registers and commonly followed by 'of', 'that', or 'to'. Strong word: stronger than 'scared' or 'afraid'.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Latin 'terrere' meaning 'to frighten'.
Synonyms
- petrified
- horrified
- scared
- frightened
- panic-stricken
- panicked
- panicky
- panic-struck
Antonyms / Opposites
Related Words
- flees
- frightened
- prospect
- flee
- hides
- afraid
- hears
- screaming
- scream
- fears
- creature
- fear
Common Collocations
- terrified of spiders
- absolutely terrified
- terrified to death
- terrified that
- look terrified
- frozen with terror
Word Forms
terrify (v); terrified; terrifying; terror (n)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
CC-licensed · free to useVideo
Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B