1
a
: painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay
astonishment giving place to horror on the faces of the people about me—
H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
b
: intense aversion or repugnance
2
a
: the quality of inspiring horror : repulsive, horrible, or dismal quality or character
contemplating the horror of their lives—Liam O'Flaherty
Liam O'Flaherty
b
: something that inspires horror
3
horrors plural
: a state of extreme depression or apprehension
: calculated to inspire feelings of dread or horror
a horror movie
Synonyms
Examples of horror in a Sentence
Noun
There was a look of horror on her face.
The crowd watched in horror as the fire spread.
His friends were shocked by the horror of his death.
His crimes were unspeakable horrors.
His memoirs recount the horrors of the war.
Recent Examples on the WebErik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
The Oscar-winning actor turns 87 years old on April 22, 2024, and though newer fans might know him for his horror hits and his near-permanent spot at Lakers games, he's been in the actual game for decades, picking up his first feature film at just 21 years old and not slowing down since.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024
The novel is part horror, part historical fiction in its examination of life under Jim Crow law in the South.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
My community is reeling from the immense pain and horror in Gaza.
—Farrah Hassen, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Her résumé also included the Bernie Casey-starring Black Chariot (1971), the science fiction/horror movie Demon Seed (1977) and Maangamizi: The Ancient One (2001) and TV appearances on The Quest, The Powers of Matthew Star, Laverne & Shirley, Wonder Woman and Lou Grant.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Although the overall mood sounds pretty dour, the tone set early on in the series is more akin to a satirical take on Mad Max than an overly dark introspective on the horrors of the new world.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024
Then the horror slowly creeps over his watery eyes as the sauce builds on his tongue.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
On a recent flight from Auckland to Sydney, an unruly man reportedly urinated into a cup while sitting at his seat, much to the horror of his fellow passengers.
—Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024
Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Additionally, while other movie franchises have begun to lose steam, Warner Bros said The Nun II (the 6th film in The Conjuring universe) crossed $250 million in the global box office, making the series the highest-grossing in the horror genre of all time.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024
Horror Express, which was shot in Madrid, feels like the work of a director who was a fan of the horror genre and wished to elevate the material beyond pure camp.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
The streamer then greenlit a second season (coming out before the end of the year) and a third season of the horror apocalypse drama.
—Kayti Burt, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2023
While Psycho is arguably well-known by both horror and non-horror fans alike, the same can't be said Peeping Tom.
—Stacey Grant, Seventeen, 28 Oct. 2022
Matt Tolmach producing 'Morbius' Matt Tolmach, a lacrosse star during his days at Beloit College and former co-head of production at Sony Pictures, was one of the producers of this horror-ish side project from the Spider-Man cinematic universe.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 29 Dec. 2022
And in no way suggestive of future scifi-horror movies.
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2011
Over the course of the collection Chung dabbles in science fiction, fantasy, fable and horror.
—Noah Berlatsky, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2022
Noun
Valerie is no doubt the elder cousin to Dario Argento’s horror fantasia Suspiria.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
The Oscar-winning actor turns 87 years old on April 22, 2024, and though newer fans might know him for his horror hits and his near-permanent spot at Lakers games, he's been in the actual game for decades, picking up his first feature film at just 21 years old and not slowing down since.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024
The novel is part horror, part historical fiction in its examination of life under Jim Crow law in the South.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
My community is reeling from the immense pain and horror in Gaza.
—Farrah Hassen, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Her résumé also included the Bernie Casey-starring Black Chariot (1971), the science fiction/horror movie Demon Seed (1977) and Maangamizi: The Ancient One (2001) and TV appearances on The Quest, The Powers of Matthew Star, Laverne & Shirley, Wonder Woman and Lou Grant.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Although the overall mood sounds pretty dour, the tone set early on in the series is more akin to a satirical take on Mad Max than an overly dark introspective on the horrors of the new world.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024
Then the horror slowly creeps over his watery eyes as the sauce builds on his tongue.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
On a recent flight from Auckland to Sydney, an unruly man reportedly urinated into a cup while sitting at his seat, much to the horror of his fellow passengers.
—Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Suspiria imparted a Baroque palette to the horror genre that made every frame into a painterly tableau resembling the work of Ernst Kirchner or Disney’s Snow White.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Additionally, while other movie franchises have begun to lose steam, Warner Bros said The Nun II (the 6th film in The Conjuring universe) crossed $250 million in the global box office, making the series the highest-grossing in the horror genre of all time.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024
Horror Express, which was shot in Madrid, feels like the work of a director who was a fan of the horror genre and wished to elevate the material beyond pure camp.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023
The streamer then greenlit a second season (coming out before the end of the year) and a third season of the horror apocalypse drama.
—Kayti Burt, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2023
While Psycho is arguably well-known by both horror and non-horror fans alike, the same can't be said Peeping Tom.
—Stacey Grant, Seventeen, 28 Oct. 2022
Matt Tolmach producing 'Morbius' Matt Tolmach, a lacrosse star during his days at Beloit College and former co-head of production at Sony Pictures, was one of the producers of this horror-ish side project from the Spider-Man cinematic universe.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 29 Dec. 2022
And in no way suggestive of future scifi-horror movies.
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2011
Over the course of the collection Chung dabbles in science fiction, fantasy, fable and horror.
—Noah Berlatsky, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'horror.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near horror
Cite this Entry
“Horror.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horror. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
horror
noun
hor·ror
ˈhȯr-ər, ˈhär- 
: painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay
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