What does terror mean?
Terror is an unusually forceful English noun meaning fear at its most intense. It can describe a person's immediate dread, as in "in terror," and it can also name a policy or campaign of violence used to frighten and control a population. The word is therefore more than a synonym for ordinary fear: it suggests fear powerful enough to overwhelm thought or paralyze action. Terror also has the established idiomatic sense of a formidable or persistent nuisance, as in "a terror in the office." In figurative use, it may describe the dread caused by an approaching disaster or by an overwhelming prospect. As a verb, terror is less common than terrorise or terrorize and often suggests intimidation through persistent menace. The word's history reflects its dual role: it names both what fear feels like and a method of making others afraid. Understanding those distinctions helps writers choose the precise and forceful term they intend.
Extreme and overwhelming fear or dread; by extension, violence or intimidation intended to make a population afraid.
"A sense of terror gripped the crowd when the lights went out."
The noun also has an idiomatic meaning for a formidable or troublesome person: "She was a terror on the tennis court."
To frighten or intimidate someone, especially through a persistent or violent threat.
"The anonymous messages terrorized the family for several weeks."
This use is less common than terrorize or terrorise and typically suggests sustained intimidation.
The plural is uncommon in the sense of extreme fear but is ordinary in established phrases such as "night terrors."
"Night terrors sometimes followed her into sleep."
From the Latin word for fear, "terror" grew into a political term for fear deliberately made into a weapon.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does terror come from?
Terror comes from Latin terror, meaning "great fear," "fright," or "alarm," and entered English in the early 15th century. Its Latin source was terrere, "to frighten," which also underlies English words such as deter and deterrent through the extended Latin verb deterrere, "to frighten from." Related forms occur in French terreur and Spanish terror, both derived from the same Latin word.
Related word forms
How terror is actually used
Terror is more intense and dramatic than ordinary fear and often suggests fear powerful enough to overwhelm thought or paralyze action. It is standard in both British and American English; as a verb it is less common than terrorise or terrorize, which usually imply sustained intimidation.
Easily confused with terror
A tremor is a shaking movement, especially of the ground or a person's body, whereas terror is the feeling of extreme fear.