terrified

Frozen with dread

Terrified means extremely frightened—fear at its most intense.

Where scared suggests discomfort and afraid suggests worry, terrified implies overwhelming dread: She was terrified of losing her job, The children stood terrified as the storm approached.

The word carries physical connotations—being frozen, unable to think or act.

fear

frightened

Experiencing sudden fear

panic-stricken · trembling · shaken · paralyzed · frozen · aghast · alarmed · spooked · startled · jumpy

paralysis

frozen

Solidified by extreme cold

petrified · stock-still · rigid · stiff · locked · speechless · voiceless · numb · shell-shocked · catatonic

dread

apprehensive

Fearful of future events

foreboding · trepidation · unease · anticipating · expecting · looming · impending · ominous · premonition · gut-wrenching

horror

bloodcurdling

Extremely frightening or horrifying

haunted · creepy · macabre · ghastly · gruesome · sinister · eerie · unnerving · hair-raising · bone-chilling

panic

frenzied

Wildly out of control

scrambling · fleeing · stampeding · chaotic · overwhelmed · uncontrollable · meltdown · screaming · flailing · wild-eyed

threatened

menaced

Threatened with harm

hunted · vulnerable · defenseless · exposed · targeted · confronted · ambushed · trapped · surrounded · pursued

Categories
Opposites
emotional state regarding fear

terrifiedunafraid

Lacking dread or alarm

fearless · unterrified · calm · unfrightened · secure

courage and bravery

terrifiedbrave

Showing courage despite fear

courageous · fearless · valiant · heroic · intrepid

composure and self-possession

terrifiedcomposed

Calm and self-possessed

collected · cool · assured · confident · unflappable

Family

terrific, terrifies

Familiarity
Top 3,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G