frightening

1 of 2

adjective

fright·​en·​ing ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈfrīt-niŋ

: 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

Adjective

• terrifying
• scary
• formidable
• horrible
• terrible
• intimidating

Examples of frightening in a Sentence

Adjective

a truly frightening movie

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Josh, much of the social media conversation around people seeing The Odyssey in theaters was about the frightening Other Mommy trailer playing ahead of it. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

My Broken Brain follows three young survivors through the most frightening days of their lives and the grueling journey back to independence. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Compulsory worship with frightening dogma, which could lead you equally plausibly to heaven or hell. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Alex Ferranti was making food deliveries in Ashland, Massachusetts, when his dash camera captured the frightening encounter on West Union Street. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of frighten

First Known Use

Adjective

1652, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frightening

• brightening
• heightening
• lightening
• tightening
• whitening
• enlightening