What does "terror" mean?
Intense dread, fright, or fear.
Terror
/ˈtɛɹ.ɚ/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Intense dread, fright, or fear.
- Grammar: terror is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: horror, abject fear, affray, affright.
- Useful contrasts: ally, calm, courage.
- Usage evidence: One student says the purge is still going on in China and terror is widespread.
How to use "terror"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "terror" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "terror" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "terror" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "terror" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "terror" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "horror" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "terror", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Intense dread, fright, or fear. countable, uncountable
"The terrors with which I was seized […] were extreme."
- 2 the use of extreme fear in order to coerce people (especially for political reasons) wordnet
- 3 The action or quality of causing dread; terribleness, especially such qualities in narrative fiction. uncountable
- 4 an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety wordnet
- 5 Something or someone that causes such fear. countable
"The Begums' ministers, on the contrary, to extort from them the disclosure of the place which concealed the treasures, were, […] after being fettered and imprisoned, led out on to a scaffold, and this array of terrours proving unavailing, the meek tempered Middleton, as a dernier resort, menaced them with a confinement in the fortress of Chunargar. Thus, my lords, was a British garrison made the climax of cruelties!"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a very troublesome child wordnet
- 7 Terrorism. uncountable
"a terror attack"
- 8 a person who inspires fear or dread wordnet
- 9 A night terror. countable
Adjective
- 1 A strict teacher who fails most of the students. Philippines, slang
"I have a terror math teacher."
Proper Noun
- 1 The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. usually
- 2 Any specific one of several historical reigns of terror. usually
Example
"One student says the purge is still going on in China and terror is widespread."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "terror"?
Common synonyms include: horror, abject fear, affray, affright, affright, alarm.
How do you use "terror" in a sentence?
One student says the purge is still going on in China and terror is widespread.
How do you pronounce "terror"?
Pronounced /ˈtɛɹ.ɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tres- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti Proto-Italic *trozeō Latin terreō Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *-ōs Proto-Italic *-ōs Latin -or Latin terrorbor. Old French terreur Middle French terreurbor. Middle English terrour English terror From late Middle English terrour, from Old French terreur f (“terror, fear, dread”), from Latin terror m (“fright, fear, terror”), from terrēre (“to frighten, terrify”), from Old Latin tr̥reō, from Proto-Italic *trozeō, from Proto-Indo-European *tre- (“to shake”), *tres- (“to tremble”).
Etymology 2
Proper noun form of terror. Translation of French Terreur, as coined by the Thermidorian Reaction