frightening

1 of 2

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.

frightening

2 of 2

present participle of frighten

Synonyms of frightening

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of frightening in a Sentence

Adjective 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.
Adjective
Created by Mukul Negi, professionally known as Rayll, the Fears to Fathom franchise is an anthology of stand-alone psychological horror stories inspired by frightening real-life experiences. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 Identity theft can be frightening, especially for someone who isn't comfortable managing financial accounts online. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Related Stories The frightening aspect of the abduction scene was one of the most complex things to capture. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026 The most frightening risk is AI creators losing control of their models, a once abstract possibility that may be inching closer to reality. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frightening

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of frighten

First Known Use

Adjective

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of frightening was in 1652

Rhymes for frightening

See All Rhymes for frightening

Browse Nearby Words

frightenedly
frightening
frighten into
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All