terrifying

Everyday

1. Terrifying means making you feel extremely frightened. tree →
2. (informal) Terrifying can also mean very worrying or amazing in a scary way, as in «a terrifying amount of homework». tree →

In the lessons

In stories it builds suspense and fear: storms, monsters, cliff edges; in everyday talk people exaggerate («the test was terrifying»); it is stronger than «scary» or «frightening».

Examples

• The roller coaster was terrifying! tree →
• A terrifying roar came from the cave. tree →
• Being lost in the crowd was terrifying for the little boy. tree →
• The storm made a terrifying noise. tree →
• It's terrifying how fast the summer goes. tree →
• The film had one terrifying scene with a shark. tree →
• Standing on the high diving board was terrifying. tree →

Note

Different from «terrified»: something is terrifying (it causes fear); a person is terrified (they feel fear). «Terrific» is a false friend: it usually means very good!