Horrifying means causing a feeling of intense fear, shock, or disgust. When something is horrifying, it makes you want to look away or run, like discovering a huge spider in your shoe or watching a scary scene in a movie where the monster suddenly appears.

The word suggests extreme intensity that stops you in your tracks. A pop quiz might be annoying, but a horrifying sight creates powerful shock and disturbance. When news reports describe a horrifying accident, they mean something so terrible that people are shocked and disturbed by it. A horrifying discovery in a mystery novel might be finding evidence that changes everything you thought you knew about the story.

Sometimes people use horrifying more lightly, almost playfully: “It was horrifying to realize I'd been walking around school all day with my shirt on inside out!” Here the word adds drama to an embarrassing but not truly dangerous situation.

When something is truly horrifying, it can create a strong physical reaction: your stomach drops, your heart races, and you feel shaken by what you've witnessed or imagined.