frightening
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
Madeleine L'EngleFor 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.
Jennifer Wulff et al.Synonyms
Examples of frightening in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Several runaway military horses galloped through the streets of London on Wednesday morning, alarming pedestrians, sideswiping cars and buses, and turning an ordinary rush hour into a frightening, almost surreal spectacle.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Yet as Martha’s behavior grows increasingly frightening—there are threats, things get physical—Donny does little to stop her.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
The gangs that detectives said ruled over the projects, frightening families into returning home before sundown, had dwindled in size and influence, but the legend of Smiley endured.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
That the mansion seems to come from a ‘30s-era Universal horror film, complete with suits of armor and numerous examples of frightening taxidermy, provides a clue that Abigail is going in a much different direction.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Exactly what happens next and why won’t be revealed right away, since Irish writer-director Damian McCarthy deliberately jumbles the timeline of events in his effectively frightening and unexpectedly droll haunted-house horror.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
While the end of 2023 and first months of 2024 have yielded a trove of ambitious, frightening, and heartbreaking documentaries (see: Occupied City, Dario Argento Panico, 20 Days in Mariupol), along with a soupçon of celebrity dish (see: Frida, Steve!
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
For more than two years, as this country of 44 million people has fought off an all-out invasion by neighboring Russia, a spirit of stubborn optimism prevailed even amid the most frightening moments.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The feeling in the room that night was that people were almost giddy with how different and funny and frightening and truly bizarre some of the show seemed to them.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Mark Landler, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Yet as Martha’s behavior grows increasingly frightening—there are threats, things get physical—Donny does little to stop her.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
The gangs that detectives said ruled over the projects, frightening families into returning home before sundown, had dwindled in size and influence, but the legend of Smiley endured.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
That the mansion seems to come from a ‘30s-era Universal horror film, complete with suits of armor and numerous examples of frightening taxidermy, provides a clue that Abigail is going in a much different direction.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Exactly what happens next and why won’t be revealed right away, since Irish writer-director Damian McCarthy deliberately jumbles the timeline of events in his effectively frightening and unexpectedly droll haunted-house horror.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
While the end of 2023 and first months of 2024 have yielded a trove of ambitious, frightening, and heartbreaking documentaries (see: Occupied City, Dario Argento Panico, 20 Days in Mariupol), along with a soupçon of celebrity dish (see: Frida, Steve!
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2024
For more than two years, as this country of 44 million people has fought off an all-out invasion by neighboring Russia, a spirit of stubborn optimism prevailed even amid the most frightening moments.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The feeling in the room that night was that people were almost giddy with how different and funny and frightening and truly bizarre some of the show seemed to them.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frightening.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near frightening
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
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