aterrorizar
“aterrorizar” means “to terrify” in Spanish (to fill someone with intense fear).
to terrifyAlso: to terrorize
📝 In Action
La tormenta aterrorizó a los niños.
A2The storm terrified the children.
No dejes que tus miedos te aterroricen.
B1Don't let your fears terrify you.
El villano aterrorizaba a toda la ciudad.
B2The villain used to terrorize the whole city.
Word Connections
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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Words that translate to "aterrorizar" in Spanish:
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: aterrorizar
Question 1 of 3
Which form is correct for 'I terrified' (Past Tense)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family
📚 Etymology
Comes from the Spanish word 'terror' (fear), which has Latin roots. The prefix 'a-' and the ending '-izar' are added to turn the noun 'terror' into an action verb meaning 'to cause terror'.
First recorded: 16th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'aterrorizar' a regular verb?
Mostly! It follows all the regular -ar rules, except for a small spelling change where the 'z' becomes a 'c' before an 'e' to keep the sound consistent.
Can I use this for 'scary' movies?
Yes, you can say a movie 'me aterroriza' (terrifies me), though people often describe the movies themselves as 'de terror' or 'terroríficas'.
What is the difference between 'aterrorizar' and 'horrorizar'?
'Aterrorizar' is about intense fear and feeling threatened. 'Horrorizar' is more about being shocked or disgusted by something terrible.