When would I use one, versus using the other?
Learn English – the difference between “horrify” and “terrify”
differencesverbs
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Best Answer
According to the online dictionary (thefreedictionary.com), they can be used as synonyms, but it leads one to believe that horrify would be more related with something [intensely] shocking, whereas terrify would be more related with fright or intense fear.
Something that would horrify you would definitely scare you, but probably more along the lines of being overly grotesque — think of films like "Halloween", "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Friday the 13th", "Saw", etc. They scare you, but make use of a lot of gore (blood, body parts being removed, etc.); thus, the "horror" film category.
I would say something along the lines of "6th Sense" or "Signs" would be terrifying; not really a lot of gore, but the thought of coming face to face with a ghost or an alien would most likely scare you [fill you with terror] to the point where you couldn't move.