reign of terror
6
8.9
- noun
- /reɪn əv ˈtɛrər/
- NSFW
:
reinado del terror
- They banned political parties and provoked a reign of terror among their own people.
- Saddam Hussein's reign of terror
- Stalin's reign of terror
- end to this reign of terror
Examples
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This book was a litany of vindictive complaints about the conquistadors' reign of terror in South America.
Academic text (1998) -
Think of the infamous Witch Trials, burning at the stake, and the reign of terror that occurred.
Blog text (13) -
But while countless fell, his reign of terror was only beginning.
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And finally, this little reign of terror made healers think twice about helping their patients.
Fiction book (2000) -
Instead, Hezbollah began a new reign of terror.
Academic text (2013) -
He had been the second victim in Andrew Carlisle's three-day reign of terror after he was released from prison in June of 1975.
Fiction book (2000) -
On the contrary, the Holy See deplored its antisemitism, mistreatment of opponents, and reign of terror.
Academic text (1998) -
What stopped the Reign of Terror in France (and we are approaching our own reign of terror, only a more unseen, a more subtle terror)?
Blog text (15) -
Most Salasacas I talked with seemed proud of their destruction of San Gonzalo in 1992, crediting themselves with having put an end to his long reign of terror over the surrounding countryside.
Academic text (1998) -
During World War II, German dictator Adolf Hitler unleashed a reign of terror across Europe.
Synonyms
355
4.9
Making people very afraid to control them, often by a government
109
6.7
One person or a small group rules a country cruelly
Antonyms
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'reign' (a period of dominance) with 'terror' (systematic use of fear), so its meaning—a period characterized by brutal or oppressive use of fear—is directly inferable from the constituents. Although it references a historical event, the compositional logic is clear and cross‑linguistically common, making it accessible to a B1 learner who knows the words.
Etymology
Reign of terror comes from the French Revolution when a short government used public killings and fear to control people. Because the ruler's reign was full of terror, the phrase now describes any time of brutal violence and fear, so it means 'a period of brutal oppression'.