1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a frightful sound emanated from somewhere deep within the forest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
I couldn't listen to the frightful details of the murder trial
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3
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
flew into a frightful fit of rage
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frightful
On the front, there might be frightful faces, either side of the belly.
—
Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
John Tufts The weather outside is about to get frightful as a potentially dangerous winter storm crawls its way across the country.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 23 Jan. 2026
Each envelope containing the clue was inside a box filled with some frightful creature — rats, snakes, a tarantula, millipedes, and cockroaches.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Jon Murray When the weather outside is frightful, the reading is so delightful.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightful
Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
John Tufts The weather outside is about to get frightful as a potentially dangerous winter storm crawls its way across the country.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 23 Jan. 2026
Each envelope containing the clue was inside a box filled with some frightful creature — rats, snakes, a tarantula, millipedes, and cockroaches.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026
Jon Murray When the weather outside is frightful, the reading is so delightful.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightful
Adjective
-
The series follows the residents of a remote island town called Widow’s Bay, just off the coast of New England, that just so happens to be cursed and haunted with all manner of terrifying things.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
The premise sees the town’s citizens coming around a campfire and spilling the beans on some of most terrifying deeds.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
This episode is both incredibly gruesome and incredibly funny, and the show maintains an excellent balance between the two extremes.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
-
On Monday evening, protesters burned down a bus as tensions rose in Belfast following the gruesome stabbing, despite earlier calls from authorities for calm.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Thanks to more than 200 years of intense and virtuoso scientific work, what were once valid or at least plausible concerns and objections to vaccines have been overcome.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Whether Tuchel will, in fact, be able to produce a more intense high-pressing style this summer, given the climate and the dense schedule, is another matter.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
After another solid season in 2021, injuries and sub-par play eventually led to an exit from the NFL, but Robinson has made a pretty formidable case for a return with his play in his UFL debut campaign.—
Juan Carlos Blanco,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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Studio had some formidable shoes to fill, replacing the eponymous and long-beloved French fine-dining institution that had defined special-occasion fine dining in Laguna Beach for more than twenty years.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
In 1984, following Operation Blue Star, the assassination of India's prime minister by her Sikh bodyguard triggered horrific mob violence that killed thousands of Sikhs across the country, pushing many more to flee.—
Akash Pamarthy,
NPR,
6 June 2026
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In this true crime documentary, Emmy-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus and her team examine the timeline leading up to the horrific incident, offering a different explanation behind one of New York's worst motor vehicle accidents.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
They were released later with ankle monitors and placed under an intensive supervision program requiring frequent check-ins at an ICE office in Portland.—
Carol Rose Little,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
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According to the company, Samsung’s HBM4E delivers a stable pin speed of 14 gigabits-per-second (Gbps), with performance scalable up to 16Gbps to support increasingly intensive data processing requirements.—
Thomas Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The frightening encounter began several years ago when her daughter texted her from school complaining of pain just above her belly button.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Vampires, deadly disasters, and creeps are among those who help these frightening flicks scare the hell out of audiences.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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The companies try to slow down this process by submerging it in oil, but the resulting flavor is horrible.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
-
Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frightful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightful. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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