Feelings by degree

Twelfth on the list is terrorizzato, and the English word it summons is the wrong one of the two available. English keeps a pair here where Italian keeps a single word. « Terrified » describes a state of fear and asks nothing about where the fear came from. « Terrorised » describes what one person or group does to another, on purpose and over time: a village terrorised by an armed gang, a child terrorised by an older brother. Terrorizzato covers both, and the sentence on this page sits at the harmless end of it — il cane era terrorizzato dai tuoni is a dog frightened out of its wits, and the thunder is persecuting nobody. Put « terrorised » there and the sentence quietly accuses the weather. The working rule is short: for a feeling say « terrified », for a campaign say « terrorised ». One neighbour is worth straightening while you are here. The ordinary Italian intensifier is terribile, as in un freddo terribile, and « terrific » is no help at all, having settled in English on the meaning excellent.