terrorize

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

Also spelled terrorised and terrorising

US /ˈtɛrəˌraɪz/ UK /ˈtɛrəˌraɪz/ See IPA manual

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to fill with intense fear, often through threats or violence

The gang terrorized the neighbourhood for months.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to fill with intense fear,... terrify intimidate frighten menace bully cow browbeat

Opposites

reassure comfort soothe

Word family

Derived forms terrorizationterrorizerterrorized

Related forms terror terrorism terrible terrific

Etymology

From terror + -ize, partly after French terroriser. Terror is from Latin terror ('great fear, dread'), from terrere ('to frighten').

terror Latin terrere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings Word Formation & Derivatives

# terrorize

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** ˈtɛrəˌraɪz
**IPA (UK):** ˈtɛrəˌraɪz

## Meanings
1. to fill with intense fear, often through threats or violence

## Examples
- The gang terrorized the neighbourhood for months.

## Synonyms
- terrify
- intimidate
- frighten
- menace
- bully
- cow
- browbeat

## Antonyms
- reassure
- comfort
- soothe

## Derived Forms
- terrorization
- terrorizer
- terrorized

## Related Forms
- terror
- terrorism
- terrible
- terrific

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: terror
- Root: terrere

## Etymology
From terror + -ize, partly after French terroriser. Terror is from Latin terror ('great fear, dread'), from terrere ('to frighten').

## AI Etymology
Terrorize comes from terror + -ize, partly after French terroriser. Terror is from Latin terror ('great fear, dread'), from terrere ('to frighten'). The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As a verb, it means "to fill with intense fear, often through threats or violence", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Latin terror and Latin terrere. Derivative forms include terrorization, terrorizer, terrorized; related words include terror, terrorism, terrible, terrific.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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terrorize

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