frightful

adjective

ˈfrīt-fəl How to pronounce frightful (audio)
Definition of frightfulnext
1
as in terrifying
causing fear a frightful sound emanated from somewhere deep within the forest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent I couldn't listen to the frightful details of the murder trial

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect flew into a frightful fit of rage

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 frightful For a few frightful moments, nothing else mattered for the Flyers. — CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026 The former is the fastest feasible way to get astronauts to Mars, operating at a frightful peak temperature of 4,400 degrees Fahrenheit (2,425 degrees Celsius)—and venting radioactive exhaust—albeit only for short, intense bursts. — David W. Brown, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026 Every traveler has their own set of needs for a more comfortable flight; some need head support, some prefer memory foam, and some need a pillow that can handle the frightful middle seat. — Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2026 On the front, there might be frightful faces, either side of the belly. — Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frightful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightful
  1. terrifying
  2. gruesome
  3. intense
  4. formidable
  5. horrific
  6. intensive
  7. frightening
  8. horrible
Adjective
  • Robertson and Sepulveda play two friends who travel to a remote Italian village to settle a family estate, where their trip spirals into a deadly game of deception at the hands of a charming hunter with a terrifying secret (Armitage).
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In the last two minutes of the flight, Filgueiras shifted from calmly communicating with air traffic controllers to calling out terrifying updates as the plane plummeted.
    — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • Thunder star Jalen Williams, the team’s second-leading scorer and best all-around defender during its title run two seasons ago, fractured a fibula and dislocated his left ankle in a gruesome injury Sunday.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Rescue workers continue to search in the wreckage for survivors and bodies, with witnesses describing a gruesome scene.
    — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • The normally quiet state race became the focus on intense scrutiny because of a pattern of incendiary remarks by French, the former Tarrant County GOP chair.
    — Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Lara faced intense scrutiny and criticism during his eight years in office from Californians frustrated by rising prices, fewer options and how their claims were handled.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • Their pass defense is specifically interesting, allowing over 227 passing yards per game, even while boasting one of the most talented and formidable defensive backfields in the game.
    — Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The formidable organization of Seminole County Democrats (aka the SemDems) was clearly a factor there.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of formidable
Adjective
  • First, Biden’s open borders let this monster into our country, then sanctuary politicians in New York refused to hand him over to ICE and released him after a previous arrest three months before this horrific crime.
    — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Travis Barker has an unfortunate connection to the horrific plane crash in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday that killed all nine people on board — two crew and seven passengers.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • Highly dependent on capital intensive deployments and leveraged financing, these firms must bring data centers online quickly to service debt with compute revenue and sustain operations.
    — , CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Google said the Wyoming facility will use air cooling to reduce pressure on local water resources, rather than relying on water-intensive cooling systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of intensive
Adjective
  • The frightening part is that almost anyone can end up on the wrong side of these systems.
    — Edward Longe, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Sussman remembers the 1999 Glastonbury Festival as both frightening and unforgettable.
    — Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Their monthlong travel by ship was under horrible conditions.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • While the fire was horrible, Hong said some blessings have emerged from the tragedy.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrible

Browse Nearby Words

frightens
frightful
frightfully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Frightful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightful. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of valorous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All