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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frightening
Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Rumor, a frightening, quasi-divine personification, is an essential element in the Aeneid.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Adjective
The alternative — the unknown — is more frightening still.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Rumor, a frightening, quasi-divine personification, is an essential element in the Aeneid.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightening
Adjective
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The case is interrupted as Lorraine is heavily pregnant with Judy and is induced into giving birth after a terrifying vision.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The series centers around a deep-space research vessel crash-lands on Earth, bringing with it mysterious and terrifying life forms, such as the Xenomorph.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Unlike other security systems that passively report break-ins to customers or police, Sauron security agents are constantly monitoring to provide real-time incident responses such as watching and scaring away a would-be robber via their speaker system.—
Victoria Feng,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Wednesday takes Enid’s Driver’s Ed lesson to go there, scaring the instructor.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Building a new company is scary and comes with high risks, but these organizations are proving that success is always possible, and age is just a number.—
Claire Dodds,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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And production budgets are usually modest, making for some scary-good profit margins.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yes, this Jaguars pass rush is formidable; Josh Hines-Allen is no joke.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
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With the Chiefs appearing more vulnerable in a season coming off a Super Bowl trouncing, Buffalo—which opens its 2025 campaign Sunday night at home against another formidable foe, the Baltimore Ravens—is poised for a breakthrough.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The chemistry between Johnson & Blunt is genuine & touching, elevating the drama w/ shocking emotional depth.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
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This is shocking rhetoric even in 2025, when the far right has embraced race science and the federal government could be mistaken for pursuing the aims of the Proud Boys.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The horrible accident — later determined to be caused by pilot error — remains the deadliest plane crash in Charlotte history.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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But then came a horrible deep-ball attempt intended for Stefon Diggs that Isaiah Pola-Mao intercepted.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Overall, this wasn’t a terrible episode, but having our heroes start in the UK and then end up in Spain in the first episode felt rushed and wasteful.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Both men are good, both men are bad and both men have made terrible mistakes.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For starters, the Nittany Lions play their home games at Beaver Stadium, which can be an intimidating place with seating for 106,572 fans.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
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The easier tasks are less intimidating and will help build your confidence to work on something more challenging in the future.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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