frightening

adjective

fright·​en·​ing ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce frightening (audio)
ˈfrīt-niŋ
Synonyms of frighteningnext
: 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.

Synonyms of frightening

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Examples of frightening in a Sentence

a truly frightening movie
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s a frightening imbalance in how the mainstream media report on these candidates, which tends to take it pretty easy on the latter. — Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 Freddie Freeman apparently avoided serious injury Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers' first baseman took a frightening tumble down the stairs and into the visitors' dugout while trying to catch a foul popup in the eighth inning. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 Nor are concerns of high customer concentration – with Microsoft accounting for roughly two-thirds of fiscal 2025 revenue – frightening investors. — Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 But fewer of us recall the nightmares induced by Return to Oz (1985), Disney’s loopy and genuinely frightening stab at a sequel. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frightening

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

Rhymes for frightening

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Browse Nearby Words

frightenedly
frightening
frighten into
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Cite this Entry

“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on frightening

Nglish: Translation of frightening for Spanish Speakers

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