frighten 1 of 3

frightening

2 of 3

adjective

frightening

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of frighten

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 frighten
Verb
May 9, 2024 Gary Usher, a songwriter who worked with Landy, told state investigators that Wilson was a virtual captive, manipulated by a man who frightened and intimidated him. Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025 Today, movies and TV intended for the biggest audience possible often water down their storytelling and generalize in order to avoid anything that might challenge, frighten or unsettle the audience. Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Adjective
His eagerness to dive into worlds of monsters and myth with an eye for gory reality has made his work thus far much more pleasurable than actually frightening (though there are plenty of scares as well). Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 June 2025 The film’s most frightening scene is a fight between Claire and her mom, when the manipulative young woman tries every tactic imaginable to extort money from Kate, from tearing out her hair to kidnapping Cooper. Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Adjective
  • Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded.
    Drew Gerber, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m.
    Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • The 24-year-old is only going to get better, and that's a scary thing for the league.
    Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • This was in the days when only lunatics or scary white punks had shaved heads.
    Hilton Als, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • But Martone is one of the very best prospects in this draft and gives the Flyers size, high-end skill (he’s got plus traits as a shooter, handler and playmaker), and a formidable one-two punch at right wing with Matvei Michkov.
    Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 27 June 2025
  • The actress portrayed formidable sensei Kim Da-Eun on the Netflix series that ended in February after six seasons.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • To be able to say that so many writers have been meaningful to you is not a horrible thing.
    John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
  • If Flagg develops into the human triple double who leads the team to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his first six years, the trade can be called not a horrible deal.
    Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • Rarely great, and consistently cringey in that NHL way we’re used to by now, but rarely terrible.
    Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Even the ones that aren’t strictly evil in the biblical sense are often prone to doing terrible things.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Unlike other squirrel-proof bird feeders, this one is ideal for small birds and won’t attract bigger, more intimidating birds like ravens, eagles, grackles, or black birds.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 June 2025
  • Its profoundly intimidating core cast come together as the white-hot heart of an espionage love story.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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