terror-stricken
Paralyzed by dread
Terror-stricken describes someone overwhelmed by intense fear, rendered nearly incapable of thought or action by dread.
The term emphasizes the sudden, paralyzing quality of the fear—not just frightened but seized by terror.
The terror-stricken passengers screamed as the plane lurched.
It functions identically to terror-struck, with both forms appearing in literary and dramatic contexts to convey extreme fright.
Solidified or fear-paralyzed
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
- horrifiedIntensely shocked, disgusted
- aghastStruck with horror
traumatized · shell-shocked · mortified · overwhelmed · shattered · devastated · unnerved · shaken
Involuntary shaking motion
- shakingRapid involuntary movement
- quakingTrembling or shuddering
- shiveringInvoluntary bodily trembling
- paleLacking color intensity
white-faced · wide-eyed · breathless · sweating · heart-pounding · rooted · immobilized · speechless
Wildly out of control
- hystericalEmotionally out of control
- desperateDriven by urgent need
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
- screamingLoud, shrill vocalizing
fleeing · stampeding · scrambling · wild-eyed · manic · unhinged · delirious · incoherent
Frightening like bad dreams
- bloodcurdlingExtremely frightening or horrifying
- spine-chillingIntensely frightening or eerie
- hair-raisingExtremely frightening or alarming
- macabreDisturbing, death-obsessed
ghastly · gruesome · haunted · ghostly · spectral · eerie · uncanny · sinister
Lacking strength or authority
- defenselessWithout means to resist
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- trappedUnable to escape
- corneredUnable to flee
hopeless · doomed · paralyzed · incapacitated · overwhelmed · desperate · exposed · unprotected
petrified
Solidified or fear-paralyzed
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
- horrifiedIntensely shocked, disgusted
aghast · traumatized · shell-shocked · mortified · overwhelmed · shattered · devastated · unnerved · shaken · rattled
trembling
Involuntary shaking motion
- shakingRapid involuntary movement
- quakingTrembling or shuddering
- shiveringInvoluntary bodily trembling
pale · white-faced · wide-eyed · breathless · sweating · heart-pounding · rooted · immobilized · speechless · slack-jawed
frenzied
Wildly out of control
- hystericalEmotionally out of control
- desperateDriven by urgent need
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
screaming · fleeing · stampeding · scrambling · wild-eyed · manic · unhinged · delirious · incoherent · disoriented
nightmarish
Frightening like bad dreams
- bloodcurdlingExtremely frightening or horrifying
- spine-chillingIntensely frightening or eerie
- hair-raisingExtremely frightening or alarming
macabre · ghastly · gruesome · haunted · ghostly · spectral · eerie · uncanny · sinister · dreadful
powerless
Lacking strength or authority
- defenselessWithout means to resist
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- trappedUnable to escape
cornered · hopeless · doomed · paralyzed · incapacitated · overwhelmed · desperate · exposed · unprotected · forsaken
terror, stricken, terrors, terrorize, terrorized, terrorizing, terrorism, terrorist, terrorists