One student says the purge is still going on in China and terror is widespread.
Source: tatoeba (21407)
Terror
/ˈtɛɹ.ɚ/
Synonyms for "terror" (147 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (30)
Strong matches (44)
draculadragondreadfearfearfulnessfee-faw-fumfiendfire eaterfire-eaterfirebrandfrankensteinfrightfrightenerfunkfuryghostghoulgoongorillagun
Show 20 more words
Related words (73)
killermad dogmadcapmafiosomonstermugmuggermuscle mannightmareogreogresspanicpanic fearpetrifyingphantomphobiaplug uglyplug-uglyrapistrevenant
Show 44 more words
revolutionaryrodmanroughnecksavagescarescarebabescarecrowscarerscourgeshe-wolfshockspecterspitfirestampedestrong-arm manstunningstupefyingsuccubustermagantterrifyingterroristterroristicthingtigertigresstorpedotoughtough guytrepidationtrepiditytrigger manugly customerunholy dreadvampireviolentviragovixenwerewolfwild beastwitchwolfwolf manwolf-manyoung turk
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: horror, abject fear, affray, affright, affright.
- Sentence evidence is available for terror, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "terror".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "terror"
Keep "terror" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "terror" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "terror", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "terror" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
16 entriesMore specific
8 entriesCollocations
5 entriesstate terrorterror attackterror campaignterror cellterror threat
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
5 entriesTranslations
129 translations across 68 languages.
Albanian
3 entries- lebeti noun (extreme fear)
- terror noun (extreme fear)
- tmerr noun (extreme fear)
Ancient Greek
4 entries- δεινόν noun (something causing fear)
- δεῖμα noun (extreme fear)
- πτοία noun (extreme fear)
- πτῆξις noun (extreme fear)
Arabic
4 entries- خَوْف noun (extreme fear)
- ذُعْر noun (extreme fear)
- رُعْب noun (extreme fear)
- هَوْل noun (extreme fear)
Armenian
3 entries- ահ noun (extreme fear)
- սարսափ noun (extreme fear)
- սարսափ noun (something causing fear)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- dəhşət noun (extreme fear)
Belarusian
1 entries- жах noun (extreme fear)
Bulgarian
1 entries- у́жас noun (extreme fear)
Catalan
2 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
- terror noun (something causing fear)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 恐怖 noun (extreme fear)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 恐怖 noun (extreme fear)
- 恐怖 noun (something causing fear)
- 詭異的事物 /诡异的事物 noun (something causing fear)
Czech
1 entries- hrůza noun (extreme fear)
Danish
1 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
Dutch
1 entries- verschrikking noun (something causing fear)
Egyptian
1 entries- n:r-w-mwt-A24 noun (extreme fear)
Esperanto
2 entries- teruraĵo noun (something causing fear)
- teruro noun (extreme fear)
Finnish
3 entries- kauhu noun (extreme fear)
- kauhu noun (instance of being intensely terrified)
- kauhu noun (something causing fear)
French
3 entries- effroi noun (extreme fear)
- terreur noun (extreme fear)
- terreur noun (something causing fear)
Galician
3 entries- espanto noun (extreme fear)
- terror noun (extreme fear)
- terror noun (something causing fear)
German
4 entries- Grauen noun (extreme fear)
- Schrecken noun (extreme fear)
- Terror noun (something causing fear)
- schreckliche Furcht noun (extreme fear)
Greek
3 entries- τρόμος noun (extreme fear)
- τρόμος noun (something causing fear)
- φόβητρο noun (something causing fear)
Hebrew
1 entries- אֵימָה noun (extreme fear)
Hindi
3 entries- दहशत noun (extreme fear)
- वहशत noun (extreme fear)
- सहम noun (extreme fear)
Hungarian
4 entries- borzalom noun (extreme fear)
- rettegés noun (extreme fear)
- rém noun (something causing fear)
- rémület noun (extreme fear)
Icelandic
3 entries- hræðsla noun (extreme fear)
- skelfing noun (extreme fear)
- ógn noun (extreme fear)
Indonesian
1 entries- kengerian noun (extreme fear)
Irish
2 entries- scéin noun (extreme fear)
- uafás noun (extreme fear)
Japanese
2 entries- 恐怖 noun (extreme fear)
- 恐怖 noun (something causing fear)
Kazakh
1 entries- қорқыныш noun (extreme fear)
Khmer
1 entries- ភេរវារម្មណ៍ noun (extreme fear)
Korean
2 entries- 공포 noun (extreme fear)
- 공포 noun (something causing fear)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- коркунуч noun (extreme fear)
Ladino
3 entries- espanto noun (extreme fear)
- estremisyon noun (extreme fear)
- terror noun (extreme fear)
Latin
1 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
Macedonian
1 entries- ужас noun (extreme fear)
Malagasy
1 entries- tahotra noun (extreme fear)
Malay
3 entries- dahsyat noun (extreme fear)
- kengerian noun (extreme fear)
- seram noun (extreme fear)
Malayalam
3 entries- നടുക്കം noun (extreme fear)
- ഭീകരം noun (something causing fear)
- ഭീകരത noun (extreme fear)
Marathi
1 entries- दहशत noun (extreme fear)
Middle English
2 entries- ferdnesse noun (something causing fear)
- terrour noun (extreme fear)
Navajo
1 entries- ił hóóyééʼ noun (extreme fear)
Nepali
2 entries- त्रास noun (extreme fear)
- भय noun (extreme fear)
Northern Kurdish
2 entries- dehşet noun (extreme fear)
- sehm noun (extreme fear)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
Occitan
1 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
Old English
1 entries- gryre noun (extreme fear)
Ottoman Turkish
3 entries- دهشت noun (extreme fear)
- قورقو noun (extreme fear)
- وحشت noun (extreme fear)
Pashto
2 entries- دهشت noun (extreme fear)
- وحشت noun (extreme fear)
Persian
2 entries- دَهْشَت noun (extreme fear)
- وَحْشَت noun (extreme fear)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Schrakj noun (extreme fear)
Polish
1 entries- groza noun (extreme fear)
Portuguese
2 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
- terror noun (something causing fear)
Romanian
2 entries- spaimă noun (extreme fear)
- teroare noun (extreme fear)
Russian
2 entries- у́жас noun (extreme fear)
- у́жас noun (something causing fear)
Sanskrit
2 entries- त्रास noun (extreme fear)
- भय noun (extreme fear)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- maoim noun (extreme fear)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- ȕžās noun (extreme fear)
- у̏жа̄с noun (extreme fear)
Slovak
1 entries- hrôza noun (extreme fear)
Slovene
1 entries- groza noun (extreme fear)
Spanish
2 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
- terror noun (something causing fear)
Swedish
1 entries- terror noun (extreme fear)
Tajik
2 entries- ваҳшат noun (extreme fear)
- даҳшат noun (extreme fear)
Tocharian B
2 entries- empelñe noun (extreme fear)
- īwate noun (extreme fear)
Turkish
1 entries- dehşet noun (extreme fear)
Ukrainian
1 entries- жах noun (extreme fear)
Urdu
3 entries- دَہْشَت noun (extreme fear)
- سَہْم noun (extreme fear)
- وَحْشَت noun (extreme fear)
Uzbek
3 entries- dahshat noun (extreme fear)
- qoʻrquv noun (extreme fear)
- vahshat noun (extreme fear)
Vietnamese
1 entries- sự khiếp noun (extreme fear)
Sample sentences
20 total sentences available.
Helen shrieked with terror.
Source: tatoeba (33832)
When we saw the animal so near us, we ran away in terror.
Source: tatoeba (44697)
The frightened boy's heart palpitated with terror.
Source: tatoeba (50607)
Showing 4 of 20 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "terror"?
Closest matches include horror, abject fear, affray, affright, affright.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "terror"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.