FRIGHTENING Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

frightening 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ

Definition of frightening

as in terrifying

causing fear a truly frightening movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

frightening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of frighten

as in scaring

to strike with fear around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of frightening

Adjective

Katie Couric recently opened up about suffering a frightening health scare, initially believed to be a stroke. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 8 July 2026 Spain are a more understated attacking unit, and there’s a sense that while Lamine Yamal has been excellent, there is another gear for the Barcelona 18-year-old to find, which is fairly frightening for everyone else. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 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

But getting that fissile material off the launchpad safely remains a terrifying engineering hurdle.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 July 2026

Definition of terrifying

Verb

Maybe two or three groups of hoaxers out there at once, bumping into each other in the dark and scaring the scales off one another.

— Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
There are multiple songs that could be (and were) covered by the Jackson 5 without scaring the teenyboppers, but Stone’s musical and lyrical depth is right there in the band’s most accessible album.

— Al Shipley, SPIN, 7 July 2026

Definition of scaring

Adjective

Some of them are scary, but some of them, harnessed correctly, might help us with some very human problems that pre-date the emergence of the LLM.

— John Werner, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
But, if people have been suffering from the elevated air temperatures, the really scary numbers come from the ocean sensors.

— Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 9 July 2026

Definition of scary

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

Adjective

England faces a formidable challenge against Mexico in the FIFA World Cup knockout round, playing at Estadio Azteca, 7,220 feet above sea level.

— Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
However, there is arguably no matchup currently more daunting than a game against this formidable France side.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

Definition of formidable

Verb

The payments were introduced following a 2024 assassination attempt on Fico, who was shot and gravely wounded after a government meeting, shocking the small country and reverberating across Europe.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Cape Verde, the ultimate underdog, went toe-to-toe with a primary contender, shocking the soccer world with a 0-0 draw against Spain.

— Amna Subhan, AJC.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of shocking

Adjective

With all the terrible news of layoffs and that the games industry is in a dire state, some people online have said a crash is the only way to fix things.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
With Te Fiti gone, a terrible darkness began slowly taking hold of the islands and their surrounding waters.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026

Definition of terrible

Browse Nearby Words

frightened

frightening

frightens

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of frightening

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on frightening

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loquacious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes