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

A day at ZooAmerica turned frightening when a 1-year-old boy slipped through a fence opening and was injured after reaching into a wolf enclosure — and now his parents are facing criminal charges. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

Just this spring, three new films center on online moderators, and while all are frightening, the stories spin in different directions. —William Earl, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026

His candid post comes after a frightening health scare that nearly turned deadly. —Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026

But an act of generosity toward their town's first responders landed the small business owners in a really stressful and frightening situation. —Juli McDonald, CBS News, 8 Apr. 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