different between horrify vs horrific

English

Etymology

horror +? -ify, or borrowed from Latin horrificare (cf. French horrifier). 1791, in form horrifying.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?h???fa?/
• (US) enPR: hôr??-f?, IPA^(key): /?h???fa?/

Verb

horrify (third-person singular simple present horrifies, present participle horrifying, simple past and past participle horrified)

1. To cause to feel extreme apprehension or unease; to cause to experience horror.

   The haunted house was horrifying, from one room to the next I felt more and more like I wasn’t going to survive.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:frighten

Derived terms

• horrification

Related terms

• horrible
• horrid
• horrific
• horror
• horrendous

Translations

References

English

Alternative forms

• horrifick (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin horrificus, from horre? (“to be afraid”) + -fic? (“to make”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /h????f?k/, /h????f?k/, /h????f?k/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /h????f?k/, /h????f?k/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /h????f?k/, /h????f?k/
• Rhymes: -?f?k

Adjective

horrific (comparative more horrific, superlative most horrific)

1. Horrifying, causing horror; horrible.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:frightening

Usage notes

• Like many terms that start with a non-silent h but have emphasis on their second syllable, some people precede horrific with an, others with a.

Related terms

• horrible
• horrifical
• horrification
• horrify
• horror
• horrendous

Translations