What does horrify mean?
Horrify means to make someone experience intense fear, shock, or disgust, usually because of something frightening, cruel, or morally disturbing. The word is especially common in the expression “be horrified by” or “be horrified to see,” where it describes a strong reaction to an event or image. As an active verb, “horrify” often emphasizes the effect on an audience: a report or spectacle may horrify the public. The related adjective “horrifying” describes something that causes such a reaction, while “horrified” describes the person who experiences it. Although the verb has a somewhat formal or literary tone, its derivatives are widely used in journalism, discussion, and everyday speech.
verbTo cause someone to feel intense fear, shock, or disgust. It is often used with the passive form “be horrified” to describe a strong emotional reaction to an event, sight, or idea.
- To cause someone to feel intense fear, shock, or disgust.
- To fill someone with horror or dread.
- To shock or appal people strongly, especially through something perceived as evil, cruel, or morally offensive.
"The news of the disaster horrified the entire community."
"Witnesses were horrified by the scale of the destruction."
"The cruelty of the report horrified even the most detached observers."
From “horror” to “horrify”: one word can name the feeling, while the other makes you feel it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does horrify come from?
“Horrify” developed through French from Latin roots associated with “horror,” originally meaning a shudder or trembling. The Latin noun “horror” came to mean great fear, awe, or disgust. English borrowed related forms such as “horrible,” “horrific,” and “horrendous” from the same semantic family, while “horrify” became established as the verb for causing such a reaction.
Related word forms
How horrify is actually used
“Horrify” is a formal or literary verb, while “horrified” and “horrifying” are common in both formal and informal contexts. It is normally transitive, as in “the image horrified viewers,” or used in the passive, as in “the public was horrified.”
Easily confused with horrify
“Horrify” is a verb meaning to cause intense fear or shock, whereas “horror” is a noun meaning a feeling of extreme fear or disgust.
“Horrify” is the verb describing the act of shocking or frightening people, while “horrific” is an adjective meaning extremely dreadful or shocking.