terrify

T1E1R1R1I1F4Y4
/ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ/

verb

To frighten greatly; to fill with terror.

Similar
terrorizeterrorise
OriginMiddle French terrifier →
UncommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

verbterrify (third-person singular simple present terrifies, present participle terrifying, simple past and past participle terrified)

present singular third person terrifies · participle present terrifying · participle past terrified · past terrified · alternative terrifie

  1. To frighten greatly; to fill with terror.
  2. To menace or intimidate.

    Your men are valiant but their number few, And cannot terrifie his mightie hoſt, […]

    c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii
  3. obsoleteTo make terrible.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbfill with terror; frighten greatly

Similar
terrorizeterrorise
Broader
frightenfrightscare
Also see
appalldismayfrightenscareterrorize

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Frenchterrifier
  2. Englishterrify

From Middle French terrifier, from Latin terrificare.

More words from Middle French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πτοέω
  • πτοέω (ptoéō)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Bulgarian пла́ша, ужася́вам
  • пла́ша (pláša)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • ужася́вам (užasjávam)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • ужася́ (užasjá)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • запла́швам (zaplášvam)to menace or intimidate
  • запла́ша (zapláša)to menace or intimidate
  • спла́швам (splášvam)to menace or intimidate
  • спла́ша (spláša)to menace or intimidate
Catalan aterrir, terroritzar
  • aterrirto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • terroritzarto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Esperanto teruri
  • terurito frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Finnish kauhistuttaa, pelottaa
  • kauhistuttaato frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • pelottaato frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • pelottaato menace or intimidate
French terrifier
  • terrifierto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
German erschrecken
  • erschreckento frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Greek τρομάζω, κατατρομάζω
  • τρομάζω (tromázo)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • κατατρομάζω (katatromázo)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • τρομοκρατώ (tromokrató)to menace or intimidate
Italian terrorizzare
  • terrorizzareto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Latin terreō
  • terreōto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Māori whakaihi
  • whakaihito frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Portuguese aterrorizar
  • aterrorizarto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Romanian înspăimânta
  • înspăimântato frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Russian ужаса́ть, ужасну́ть
  • ужаса́ть (užasátʹ)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • ужасну́ть (užasnútʹ)to frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • запу́гивать (zapúgivatʹ)to menace or intimidate
  • запуга́ть (zapugátʹ)to menace or intimidate
Spanish aterrar
  • aterrarto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Tagalog sindakin
  • sindakinto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
Turkish dehşete düşürmek, gözünü korkutmak
  • dehşete düşürmekto frighten greatly; to fill with terror
  • gözünü korkutmakto menace or intimidate
  • yıldırmakto menace or intimidate
Cite this entry
APA

terrify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrify

MLA

“terrify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrify. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terrify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terrify.

Source: terrify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.