terrifying

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ.ɪŋ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

terrifying (comparative more terrifying, superlative most terrifying)

1. Frightening or intimidating.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:frightening

   terrifying creature

   terrifying dream

   terrifying film

   terrifying ride

   terrifying story

2. Of a formidable nature; terrific.
   • 2006 February 24, Tishani Doshi, “Meanwhile: The long view from Antarctica”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 6 April 2023:

     Penguin colonies that number in millions; nights that run into days, and days that run into nights; katabatic winds that scream down the ice sheets at a terrifying 180 miles per hour, and then remain equally terrifyingly still.

Derived terms

• terrifyingly
• terrifyingness
• unterrifying

Related terms

• terrify
• terror

Translations

frightening or intimidating — see also horrific

• Azerbaijani: dəhşətli (az), qorxunc (az), vahiməli, müdhiş (az)
• Faroese: ræðandi, øgiligur, øtiligur
• French: terrifiant (fr)
• Galician: tremendo, espantoso
• German: furchteinflößend (de), schreckerregend
• Greek: τρομακτικός (el) m (tromaktikós), τρομαχτικός (el) m (tromachtikós)

  Ancient Greek: φοβερός m (phoberós)

• Irish: scéiniúil
• Italian: terrificante (it), terribile (it), spaventoso (it)
• Latin: terrificus
• Māori: tarawewehi, whakawehiwehi
• Russian: стра́шный (ru) m (strášnyj)
• Sanskrit: घोर (sa) (ghora), भीषण (sa) (bhīṣaṇa)
• Spanish: terrorífico (es), aterrador (es), aterrorizante, terrífico (es), acojonante (es), truculento (es), tremebundo (es)

of a formidable nature

• Spanish: acojonante (es)

Verb

terrifying

1. present participle and gerund of terrify