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terrifier

to terrify

verb teh-ree-FYEH Rare

Origin: From Latin terrificare, from terror + facere (to make).

Usage Note

Terrifier is stronger than effrayer (to frighten) and implies extreme, paralysing fear. The past participle terrifié (terrified) is often used as an adjective: elle était terrifiée. The related noun la terreur and adjective terrifiant (terrifying) are both common.

Examples

"Le bruit l'a complètement terrifié."

Natural Translation

The noise completely terrified him.

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