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
The early details were frightening enough, but very quickly turned utterly catastrophic.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
There are certainly elements in the film that may be too frightening for children ages 6 and under.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In early press interviews promoting Frozen Empire, Bill Murray, who famously plays Dr. Peter Venkman in the franchise, mentioned how frightening the ghosts are in the latest film.
—Kristina Behr, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
The frightening moment was captured on the game's broadcast, sparking concern from fans who witnessed the seemingly random collapse.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
There’s a method to the madness Many commentators and critics, including groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, view CPAC as a frightening or bizarre gathering of white nationalists who have a nativist agenda.
—Alexander Hinton, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024
This article is a little different from others on this list, and possibly more frightening.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
While such stories sometimes elicit laughs, these encounters can be frightening and stressful for the people involved—and don’t always end well for the birds.
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2024
After chronicling their perilous and frightening 45-day voyage, the author goes on to describe the sale of the 103 survivors of the journey to various enslavers in Alabama, their five years of bondage, and their hardscrabble lives following emancipation.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
There are certainly elements in the film that may be too frightening for children ages 6 and under.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In early press interviews promoting Frozen Empire, Bill Murray, who famously plays Dr. Peter Venkman in the franchise, mentioned how frightening the ghosts are in the latest film.
—Kristina Behr, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
The frightening moment was captured on the game's broadcast, sparking concern from fans who witnessed the seemingly random collapse.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
There’s a method to the madness Many commentators and critics, including groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, view CPAC as a frightening or bizarre gathering of white nationalists who have a nativist agenda.
—Alexander Hinton, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024
This article is a little different from others on this list, and possibly more frightening.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
While such stories sometimes elicit laughs, these encounters can be frightening and stressful for the people involved—and don’t always end well for the birds.
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2024
After chronicling their perilous and frightening 45-day voyage, the author goes on to describe the sale of the 103 survivors of the journey to various enslavers in Alabama, their five years of bondage, and their hardscrabble lives following emancipation.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 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 16 Apr. 2024.
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