as in terrifying
causing fear
a truly frightening movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scaring
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frightening
Johnny Dodd, People.com, 3 May 2025
If the original recipe and its volume are at all frightening to you, Southern Living has a gussied-up, photo-worthy version that has a much more manageable yield of six servings.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 2 May 2025
The forward runs of Raphinha, Yamal and Dembele ahead of them would be frightening for any defence.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Yes, the thought of applying ice to your face is frightening, but the results are tea.
—Tatayana Yomary, Essence, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Adjective
Even more frightening, researchers with APOPO estimate there are over 110 million active landmines—enough to circle the Earth twice—buried underground in 60 countries.
—Johnny Dodd, People.com, 3 May 2025
If the original recipe and its volume are at all frightening to you, Southern Living has a gussied-up, photo-worthy version that has a much more manageable yield of six servings.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 2 May 2025
The forward runs of Raphinha, Yamal and Dembele ahead of them would be frightening for any defence.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Yes, the thought of applying ice to your face is frightening, but the results are tea.
—Tatayana Yomary, Essence, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightening
Adjective
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To cut yourself off from people is to lose your connection and way in a glorious, terrifying world.—
Mary Frances Ruskell,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
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Audio and video deepfakes created with generative AI tools add a new, terrifying wrinkle to scam spotting.—
Kim Key,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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So their arrival in the world of the New Avengers may be a harbinger of scary things to come.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
2 May 2025
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With stealth mechanics now in the mix, Metroid Dread doubled down on the scarier bits of Metroid Fusion to create gameplay sections where deadly EMMI robots have to be avoided, at least until Samus regains her strength (big shock).—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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There are formidable breakfast burritos to be devoured all over Greater Los Angeles and Orange County.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Mike has fostered a collaborative environment with a team committed to building a formidable global business – innovating and trailblazing at every level.—
Billboard Staff,
Billboard,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Jung-bae wound up in a room of three, with Player 001 and some rando — but Player 001 choked the stranger to death in time to reduce their head count, shocking Jung-bae more than a bit.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
26 Dec. 2024
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Fox News Digital obtained shocking audio between Cyrus and his estranged wife where the country crooner is heard berating his Australian ex and using profane language.—
Ashley Hume,
Fox News,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Big, wonderful, funny, horrible, strange, sad, great life.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2025
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One of our group hunted it on a rainy afternoon — traditionally a horrible time to bag a bird — and killed a 3-year-old tom. —A.M. Don’t Become Overly Reliant on Your Cameras Cameras aren’t magic.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Public interest in the film intensified after a stroke of terrible happenstance.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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United have fallen massively and it’s been a terrible watch all season, bar a couple of highs.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Adding to her distress was her struggle with social anxiety, which made the idea of spending long hours with acquaintances and distant relatives even more intimidating.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
1 May 2025
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Not just last year’s numbers with an extra 20% thrown on top, but something truly inspiring, maybe even a little intimidating?—
Ryan Brinkhurst,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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