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
And, showcasing their awesome, frightening power, one avalanche derailed a train in Switzerland on Monday, injuring five on board, while another swept through a refuge on a French mountainside earlier this month, shattering windows and dumping snowdrifts inside the building’s kitchen.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
The frightening moment an avalanche thundered down a mountainside and slammed into a train traveling through the Swiss Alps was captured by a tourist.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Greene said the time between a guilty plea or conviction to when a defendant ultimately reports to prison to begin serving a sentence can be frightening and frustrating.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Plenty of unconventional solutions have sprung up as a result, from the ill-advised and frightening (please don’t scoop out your period) to the innocuous and accessible—like seed cycling, or, more recently, the period steak theory.
—Audrey Bruno, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightening
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Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
The frightening moment an avalanche thundered down a mountainside and slammed into a train traveling through the Swiss Alps was captured by a tourist.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Greene said the time between a guilty plea or conviction to when a defendant ultimately reports to prison to begin serving a sentence can be frightening and frustrating.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Plenty of unconventional solutions have sprung up as a result, from the ill-advised and frightening (please don’t scoop out your period) to the innocuous and accessible—like seed cycling, or, more recently, the period steak theory.
—Audrey Bruno, SELF, 19 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 2026.
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