Standard Lemma guide

horrify

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɒɹɪfaɪ/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈhɔɹəfaɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AO1 R AH0 F AY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease; to cause to experience horror.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The haunted house horrified me, as I passed from one room to the next feeling more and more like I wasn’t going to survive.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I was horrified at the thought of being late for my interview
  • The news of the executions horrified us

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dismay, alarm, appal, appall

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: frighten, fright, scare, affright

Narrower terms: shock

History

Etymology

From horror + -ify, or borrowed from Latin horrificare (cf. French horrifier). 1791, in form horrifying.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: ужасявам (užasjavam) — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Bulgarian: шокирам (šokiram) — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Czech: děsit — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Finnish: kauhistuttaa — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Finnish: hirvittää — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Galician: arrepiar — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • German: entsetzen — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • German: erschrecken — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • German: schockieren — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Latin: horrificō — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Romanian: înfiora — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Romanian: îngrozi — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Romanian: oripila — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease
  • Spanish: horripilar — to cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease