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
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
The father of two and community activist said the encounters can range from embarrassing and annoying to downright frightening.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 30 May 2026
Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Adjective
The Boroughs is not a frightening show, monster snack-time portrayals notwithstanding.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
The father of two and community activist said the encounters can range from embarrassing and annoying to downright frightening.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 30 May 2026
Verb
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightening
Adjective
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The disregard for one’s health is terrifying.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
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The woman who survived a terrifying accident on the Stevenson Expressway last week is speaking out about the incident.—
Marissa Sulek,
CBS News,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Predator decoys that are in constant motion may be most effective at scaring birds.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
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However, the fact that both are scaring away new users thanks to soaring prices isn’t exactly a vote of confidence to investors, which could soon force AI executives to rethink their business models.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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But the idea of transferring to a new school was scary.—
Susan Svrluga,
Washington Post,
15 June 2026
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It's been scary, and it's been really hard to navigate.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Saturday, startling his sister.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Nor will a stronger Ukraine incline Western countries to provide it with more formidable security guarantees.—
Thomas Graham,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Dec. 2025
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Braka's transformable battlecruiser, the Venari Ral, is a formidable opponent, and the two spaceships face off in deep space.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Dozens of older homes, most built during the area’s postwar building boom, were in a state of shocking disrepair.—
Zac Taylor,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
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Just one quick perusal of Corrin’s Instagram comments reveals shocking bigotry.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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The companies try to slow down this process by submerging it in oil, but the resulting flavor is horrible.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
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Any justice in the community would praise this murderer’s row of craftspeople working on the production design for the period town setting; makeup, especially Pennywise’s horrible face; sound design, for helping to keep the audio terrors churning along; and the costume work.—
William Earl,
Variety,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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In 2012, a powerful quake visited terrible damage on the city of Modena, Bottura’s home and host to his restaurant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The letter writer’s cousin has cancer, and the chemo gives her terrible side effects.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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