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n. 1. Intense, overpowering fear. See Synonyms at fear. 2. One that instills intense fear: a rabid dog that became the terror of the neighborhood. 3. The ability to instill intense fear: the terror of jackboots pounding down the street. 4. Violence committed or threatened by a group, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals. 5. Terror The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. 6. Informal An annoying person or thing, especially an ill-mannered or disruptive child. [Middle English terrour, from Old French terreur, from Latin terror, from terrēre, to frighten.] Usage Note: The word terrorism is sometimes shortened to terror, especially in phrases like the war on terror. The difference between the two words is subtle. Dropping the -ism suffix changes the focus from a reprehensible method of conducting a violent conflict to a moral abstraction. Thus, the war on terror conjures a grave, universal conflict between good and evil, where the war on terrorism does not. |
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