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

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.

Synonyms of frightening

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

Examples of frightening in a Sentence

a truly frightening movie

Recent Examples on the Web

Mary Callahan has a frightening theory about why her husband was murdered in Miami. —Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026

The region’s residents, some of whom declined to use their full names or spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity for safety reasons — described their most surreal and frightening moments of the past month. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026

While any leukemia diagnosis is frightening, the prognosis for hairy cell leukemia is generally excellent with treatment, Tsarwhas, the LFH oncology director, noted. —Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

Still, the leader seems to be Amy Madigan, who provides the frightening punch of the horror film Weapons’ third act. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of frighten

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frightening

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