What does terrified mean?
Terrified is an adjective meaning extremely frightened, usually so frightened that a person feels unable to think clearly or act calmly. It can describe a person, an experience, a place, or a prospect: someone may be terrified of spiders, terrified by a thunderclap, or terrified at the thought of speaking publicly. The word often conveys a stronger and more overwhelming emotional state than scared or frightened, sometimes suggesting panic, helplessness, or physical fear. In conversation and narrative writing, it can also function as an intensifier, as in absolutely terrified, but this usage may sound deliberately dramatic in formal contexts. Terrified is the past participle of terrify and the adjective form of the same word family. It is widely used in both British and American English and can be paired with of or followed by an infinitive to identify the source of fear or the action feared.
adjectiveExtremely frightened or filled with fear.
- Extremely frightened or filled with fear.
"She was terrified when she heard the sound of breaking glass in the hallway."
"The children were terrified of thunderstorms during the night."
"He was terrified to speak in front of such a large audience."
Terrified is more than simply scared: it describes fear so overwhelming that calm thought and action become impossible.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does terrified come from?
Terrified is the past participle of terrify, whose English history traces to French terrifier and ultimately Latin terrere, “to frighten.” The Latin root also lies behind related English words such as terror, terrible, and terrific. English later formed terrify with the regular -y to -ied pattern, producing terrifies, terrified, and terrifying, with the past-participle adjective acquiring its familiar sense of being extremely frightened.
How terrified is actually used
Common in everyday speech, narrative writing, and informal description. It is emphatic and sometimes hyperbolic, so in precise technical prose a less dramatic term may be preferable.
Easily confused with terrified
Terrified means extremely frightened, while terrific most commonly means excellent or very great, although it can also mean causing terror in formal usage.