frightening

adjective

fright·en·ing ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ

ˈfrīt-niŋ

Synonyms of frightening next

: causing fear

frightening news

a very frightening experience

The man with red eyes made the frightening grimace that passed for his smile.—

Madeleine L'Engle

For a man who had tussled with crocs, venomous snakes and other frightening creatures, this was going to be a leisurely swim.—

Jennifer Wulff et al.

Examples of frightening in a Sentence

a truly frightening movie

Recent Examples on the Web Students who were present during the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., in which two students and two teachers were killed and dozens of others were injured, have recounted the frightening moments leading up to the event and the aftermath. —

Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024 The headlines paint a frightening picture: Ransomware attacks on hospitals are on the rise. —

Ophir Ronen, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024 During the early, frightening days of the AIDS epidemic, the bookstore was a source for information about an illness that few outside the LGBTQ+ community even wanted to acknowledge. —

Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2024 Shortly thereafter, Hope starts to receive lewd, frightening texts and images, and her email gets hacked. —

Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for frightening

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frightening.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of frighten

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of frightening was in 1652

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.

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