AFFRIGHTING Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

affrighting

verb

present participle of affright

as in frightening

to strike with fear a ghastly sight that would affright any person

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for affrighting

Verb

Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.

— Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.

— Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026

Definition of frightening

Verb

The dangers of taking a dog out off-leash The danger isn’t just scaring people who might have a fear of dogs; having your dog off-leash can lead to even more dangerous consequences.

— Tanya Edwards, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026
Dogs, in particular, appear to be effective in scaring geese.

— Mark Vrtiska, The Conversation, 30 July 2026

Definition of scaring

Verb

What for decades seemed a hypothetical problem to be solved at some later date is suddenly a concrete, terrifying one for today.

— Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
And there was Erling Haaland living his best Norwegian life, terrifying on the pitch and absurd off it, multiplying his stardom with a flamboyance and humor that didn’t detract from his serious talent.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of terrifying

Verb

Cortlandt Koerwitz/Instagram A family's Fourth of July outing took a frightening turn when a bear charged at a father outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home after startling his daughters.

— Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.

— Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026

Definition of startling

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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affrighted

affrighting

affrights

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“Affrighting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affrighting. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of affrighting

verb

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