as in terrifying
causing fear
a truly frightening movie
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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
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Recent Examples of frightening
Sean Gregory, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
The frightening moment an avalanche thundered down a mountainside and slammed into a train traveling through the Swiss Alps was captured by a tourist.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 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
While Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic comeback ended with a frightening crash in Cortina d’Ampezzo, overall, Team USA broke its winter gold medal record, set on home soil at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
The frightening moment an avalanche thundered down a mountainside and slammed into a train traveling through the Swiss Alps was captured by a tourist.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 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 frantic energy, the emotional volatility, the crazy eyes — Metcalf uses every tool in her acting arsenal to turn a cheap plot twist into the most terrifying adversary Sidney faces.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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My mom was around at the time and told me stories about what that was like, just obviously terrifying.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The growing conflict is also drawing concern on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, scaring away carriers that had sought to make a more regular return to the Suez Canal.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Mar. 2026
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Guadalajara will be hosting matches this summer, in what’s expected to be an economic boon for the state of Jalisco, and Sheinbaum will no doubt be wary of scaring off would-be tourists.—
Gonzalo Zegarra,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But for the audience the scariest revelation in the conversation isn’t his dogmatism.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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Dogs often learn from a young age that water isn’t scary.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
27 Feb. 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
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Saturday, startling his sister.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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With platinum plaques, festival stages, and a partnership with Scott that has evolved into a formidable creative enterprise, Chase B’s career stands at a pivotal inflection point.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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In Angola, the Cuban revolutionary Jorge Risquet spent several years coordinating Cuban and Soviet support for the country’s Marxist government fighting, and defeating, a formidable tandem of CIA cash and South African firepower.—
Alfred McCoy,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fast-forward 58 games, and not shocking to me, Joe was right.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
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Sophie is pacing in her room when Violet comes in, shocking me and Sophie both.—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Whatever Americans think about what occurred this weekend, with the attendant death, economic disruption and other horrible human costs of war, to wish for anything other than that is to betray the brave Iranian people and its worried but hopeful diaspora, amply represented in our city.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
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Iran has used those missiles, again, in a horrible way, firing them into cities and civilian centers in Israel.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Ball told TechCrunch that imposing the supply-chain risk label would send a terrible message to any company doing business with the government.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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But this is some terrible people.—
Babak Dehghanpisheh,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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