frightening

adjective

fright·​en·​ing ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce frightening (audio)
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.

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.
The key, psychologists say, is the emotional weight of those headlines’ content—especially for people who find what’s happening in the U.S. today to be genuinely frightening. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2025 Bates is frightening in her stillness, which makes Annie’s sudden bursts of violence all the more horrifying. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025 But former Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has pitched just five innings since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and, even more frightening, a battle with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025 Told over six episodes, the gripping limited series starring Angela Bassett, Connie Britton, Jesse Plemons and Robert De Niro meshes fact with fiction to tell this captivating and frightening life-like story about terrorism, truth, control and oversight. Stacy Lambe, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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