In this paper, we propose a brief overview of the philosophy of Jean-François Lyotard to outline the different ways in which he develops his concept of terror. As a methodology, we have chosen the theory of language games through which the French philosopher defines a basic sense of terror he then puts in connection with other important themes of his philosophical inquiry like the metanarratives of modernity, the sublime, philosophy as labor of thinking or the problem of justice. Once we have established the multiple meanings of terror, we analyze its relation to philosophical thinking, in a final attempt to define Lyotard’s view on philosophy.