as in terrifying
causing fear
a truly frightening movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
William Finnegan,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Thoughts of those frightening weeks in the early spring of 2024, and the months that followed, are never far away.
—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
28 June 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
Climbers die at a frightening rate, but the deaths are almost always ascribed to errors and accidents.
—
William Finnegan,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Thoughts of those frightening weeks in the early spring of 2024, and the months that followed, are never far away.
—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
28 June 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
-
The full extent of the casualties and damage may not be clear for many hours, but reports and videos show extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure across the country as residents face a terrifying night in the streets.
-
Then the assailant turns to face the camera; but inside a hoodie, the face is no face, just a terrifying horror movie mask.
Verb
-
Suddenly the seller is tiptoeing, managing the buyer's mood, terrified of saying the wrong thing and scaring them off.
-
Two earthquakes jolted Venezuela with one-two punch on Wednesday, damaging buildings and scaring people who felt the violent shaking.
Adjective
-
Authorities say the scary situation happened at the end of a ride on May 10.
-
As a child life specialist, Hartz’s job is to make the hospital experience less scary.
Verb
-
Some cyclists sped by pretty quickly, startling us and our dog.
-
Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.
Adjective
-
The Scottish lawyer was one of the smartest, most formidable specialists in the luxury business, with a reputation that carried internationally and a vast roll call of clients.
-
With five volumes of his Noise Kandy series, to solo and collaborative albums (KISS THE RING, Kontraband, Trainspotting), the Griselda affiliate has cemented his status as one of today’s most formidable spitters.
Verb
-
Cape Verde came onto the international stage with a thrilling show — shocking the world with its 0-0 draw against Spain, where Vozinha was catapulted into sports stardom for stonewalling the Spanish, and on to its 2-2 stalemate with Uruguay.
-
That’s shocking news for anybody.
Adjective
-
The Red Sox offense has been horrible this season, but Contreras has been everything the club could have hoped for.
-
Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.
Adjective
-
The production quality was terrible.
-
But in May of 1943, a terrible fire burned his studio to the ground.
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
