as in terrifying
causing fear
a truly frightening movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scaring
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frightening
Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2025
Those inquiries reinforce earlier press reports based on leaks and add frightening detail.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
None of this would be possible without Oliverio, whose lead performance brings Natalia to life in full frightening capacity.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2025
That an unelected tech billionaire has so much power over the American government is equal parts confusing and frightening.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Adjective
The world is changing in frightening ways, and therefore, places like Cambridge are reassuring because, overwhelmingly, the place looks identical.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2025
Those inquiries reinforce earlier press reports based on leaks and add frightening detail.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
None of this would be possible without Oliverio, whose lead performance brings Natalia to life in full frightening capacity.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2025
That an unelected tech billionaire has so much power over the American government is equal parts confusing and frightening.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightening
Adjective
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Back in August, Renner spoke about how his terrifying snowplow accident in January 2023 led to his daughter becoming a little more independent.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The terrifying predicament happened Sunday, March 23, in a wooded area off Interstate 10 in LaPlace, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a March 26 news release.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Athletic’s Steve Madeley has produced a slightly scary overview of the 16 months before the next World Cup starts.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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Kwong grew up hearing stories of every kind about Manzanar—scary, sad, funny and infuriating.—
Rachel Ng,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the vast plains of North America, a formidable predator once reigned supreme.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Connecticut’s offense is formidable, but its defense is suspect.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Jung-bae wound up in a room of three, with Player 001 and some rando — but Player 001 choked the stranger to death in time to reduce their head count, shocking Jung-bae more than a bit.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
26 Dec. 2024
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Fox News Digital obtained shocking audio between Cyrus and his estranged wife where the country crooner is heard berating his Australian ex and using profane language.—
Ashley Hume,
Fox News,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Those plans are HMOs and many of us remember how horrible those were, denying service, or stalling approval.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2025
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Lillard’s blood clot diagnosis continues a horrible stretch of injuries that has limited the Bucks’ ability to chase postseason glory since the Bucks ended the franchise’s 50-year championship drought by winning the 2021 NBA title.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The boys now harbor a terrible secret of their own.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
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But the point is, every team has a few terrible losses in the course of a season.—
Josh Yohe,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Liston was famous for being ill-tempered and intimidating.—
Jerry McDonald,
The Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
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Being invited to speak to a group of leaders—whether peers, senior executives or cross-functional stakeholders—can feel both exciting and intimidating.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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