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.Examples of frightening in a Sentence
a truly frightening movie
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2017 Dikansh Parmar of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Germany, rescued an Indian cobra (Naja naja) coiled around a train’s window bars that was hissing and, understandably, frightening passengers.
—Richard Kemeny, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's Arizona community gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening while the world can't look away from an incident that is deeply, horrifically sad and frightening.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
The frightening incident happened Saturday at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, where the visiting snowboarder appeared to be unsecured on the chairlift.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
What separates Hush from other slasher films of its ilk is how Flanagan and Siegel give its main character sharp instincts and depth, as well as a frightening use of silence.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
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Richard Kemeny, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's Arizona community gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening while the world can't look away from an incident that is deeply, horrifically sad and frightening.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
The frightening incident happened Saturday at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, where the visiting snowboarder appeared to be unsecured on the chairlift.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
What separates Hush from other slasher films of its ilk is how Flanagan and Siegel give its main character sharp instincts and depth, as well as a frightening use of silence.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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