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terrifyingly

terrifyingly

5 6.5
In a way that is very frightening or very strong to show how serious something is
  • adverb
  • /ˈtɛrɪfaɪɪŋli/
translation icon : aterradoramente
  • The horror movie was terrifyingly realistic, making everyone in the theater jump at every scare.

Those two things exist in this terrifyingly powerful feedback loop.

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Examples

  • Narrow eyes, terrifyingly red and bright, stared at her from grimy slits in a buckskin mask.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Those two things exist in this terrifyingly powerful feedback loop.

  • Second of all, this thing is terrifyingly fast, dude.

  • It's another great book and a terrifyingly complicated operation.

  • At such a close range, the sound was terrifyingly loud.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Even though it was only a dream, I felt as if my struggle to reach dry land was terrifyingly real.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • She's still hearing her voice calling for her mother, a sound at once so utterly foreign and terrifyingly familiar.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • It's a shocking and terrifyingly beautiful chase sequence that looks playful on the surface.

    Blog text (20)
  • In the Moscow Metro, built deep to double as a bomb shelter, the escalators are terrifyingly steep and fast.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • You've met my terrifyingly efficient right-hand woman, Maureen Coate.

Synonyms

eerily
vsterrifyingly
30 6.8

In a strange and frightening way

is used more generally for very strong fear or emphasis
dreadfully
vsterrifyingly
18 4.4

Shows that something is very bad, unpleasant, or extreme

leans more toward intense frightening meaning or broad emphasis
alarmingly
vsterrifyingly
14 5.4

In a way that makes people feel worried or afraid

is used more broadly for intense frightening effect or general emphasis
frighteningly
vsterrifyingly
12 5.7

In a way that makes you feel scared

is somewhat broader, also serving as a general intense emphasis
frightfully
vsterrifyingly
  • UK
12 6.0

To emphasize something, like saying very

is often specifically about strong frightening feeling as well as emphasis
menacingly
vsterrifyingly
6 6.3

In a way that seems likely to hurt or scare someone

is broader, used for very strong fear or general emphasis
monstrously
vsterrifyingly
5 6.8

In a very cruel and shocking way

is narrower toward strong fear or broader intense emphasis
scarily
vsterrifyingly
4 4.9

In a way that makes you feel afraid or very worried

is used more widely for very strong fear or emphasis
chillingly
vsterrifyingly
3 6.3

In a way that makes you feel afraid or very uncomfortable

is more general, applying to intense fear or strong emphasis
horrifyingly
vsterrifyingly
3 6.7

In a way that makes people feel very afraid or shocked

is used more broadly for very strong fear or general emphasis
deadly
vsterrifyingly
2 3.9

To a very high degree

is more commonly used to highlight intense frightening feelings
hellishly
vsterrifyingly
2 8.8

In a very intense and unpleasant way

is more focused on strong fear as well as wide emphasis
horridly
vsterrifyingly
1 7.0

In a very bad and unpleasant way

is used more often for strong fear or as a general intensifier
screamingly
vsterrifyingly
  • Informal
1 7.9

Very funny or easy to notice

is more tied to frightening intensity rather than only noticeability
fearsomely
vsterrifyingly
1 7.5

In a way that makes people afraid

is more focused on intense frightening feeling rather than just impressiveness
spookily
vsterrifyingly
1 7.0

In a strange, frightening way that feels like a ghost

is more commonly used for strong fear or wide emphasis
horrifically
vsterrifyingly
1 5.8

In a way that is very strong or extreme

is more specific to extreme frightening meaning as well as emphasis
nightmarishly
vsterrifyingly
1 7.5

It happens in a very unpleasant and frightening way

is used more often to mark very strong fear or intensity
harrowingly
vsterrifyingly
1 8.8

In a way that causes great fear or pain

is more about extreme frightening intensity rather than emotional pain
overpoweringly
vsterrifyingly
1 7.4

In a very strong way that is hard to resist

is centered more on causing fear rather than sheer overpowering force
direfully
vsterrifyingly
  • Archaic
9.9

In a way that shows great fear or warns of danger

is used more flexibly for strong fear or general intensity
rattlingly
vsterrifyingly
  • UK
7.9

To make a describing word much stronger

is more likely to convey strong fear as well as general emphasis

Antonyms

4 3.0

In a way that makes someone feel calm and safe

2 3.3

In a way that makes someone feel calm and less worried

How Scary

terrifyingly
5 6.5
considerably
144 3.4
somewhat
816 2.0
slightly
885 1.0

Surface Forms

terrifyingly positive
terrifyinglier comparative
terrifyingliest superlative

Morphology

terrifyingly = terrifying (transparent) = terrify + ing + ly

Forming an adverb from the adjective 'terrifying' with the productive suffix '-ly' yields a predictable meaning.

Etymology

Terrifyingly comes from terrify, which comes from the same root as terror, meaning 'great fear' or 'to frighten'. Adding -ly turns it into a word that shows how something happens: 'in a frightening way', and people often use it like 'very' to make a description stronger.