ENGLISH
REFERENCE

horrified

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈhɔɹəˌfaɪd// UK //hˈɒɹɪfˌaɪd// hor·ri·fied

adj. feeling very shocked and scared by something terrible. You feel this way when you see or hear something truly awful.

adj. feeling or showing great shock, fear, or disgust. Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'look', or 'feel'.


SIMPLE

She was horrified by the news of the accident.

CONTEXTUAL

The witnesses stood in silence, horrified by the sudden collapse of the old bridge during the storm.

COMPLEX

The public was deeply horrified by the revelations in the documentary, which exposed the systemic neglect within the city's oldest healthcare facilities.

Synonyms
Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'by' or 'at' to indicate the cause of the shock.

Pitfall

I was horrifying by the movie.I was horrified by the movie.Learners often confuse the -ed adjective (describing a feeling) with the -ing adjective (describing the thing that causes the feeling).

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