frightening
adjective
fright·en·ing
ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈfrīt-niŋ
: causing fear
frightening news
a very frightening experience
The man with red eyes made the frightening grimace that passed for his smile.—
Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'EngleFor a man who had tussled with crocs, venomous snakes and other frightening creatures, this was going to be a leisurely swim.—Jennifer Wulff et al.
Jennifer Wulff et al.Synonyms
Examples of frightening in a Sentence
a truly frightening movie
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to sending emails, voicemails and Facebook messages, Martha appears at Donny’s place of residence, contacts his parents and gropes him without consent, among other frightening behaviors.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
After the movie ended, Amma, my mom, shared that her move to the U.S. was frightening in the ways depicted in the movie.
—Deepa Purushothaman, Fortune, 7 May 2024
In theaters May 17 05 of 31 The Strangers: Chapter One
Car trouble forces a cute young couple (Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch and Teen Wolf's Froy Gutierrez) to spend the night at a remote cabin in a small town, which is eerie by day and downright frightening at night.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
As the show’s sequences become more visceral and frightening to the teenager, Owen further disassociates from the material world, with Smith’s lead performance growing number and tragically detached.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 4 May 2024
But Barrett’s roommate, Mark Stone, who had a long, frightening history of violence, was able to accomplish what Barrett had repeatedly failed to do himself.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
To make this leap in midcareer was frightening, but O’Hara, who runs marathons and has gone sky-diving, doesn’t mind a certain amount of fright.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 2 May 2024
To me, real estate now is a really frightening, tricky and, quite frankly, expensive venture.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 2 May 2024
Whereas the current wave of protests, whatever their original motivations, have become not only disruptive but, for many Jewish students, frightening.
—Stephen L. Carter, Twin Cities, 1 May 2024
Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
After the movie ended, Amma, my mom, shared that her move to the U.S. was frightening in the ways depicted in the movie.
—Deepa Purushothaman, Fortune, 7 May 2024
In theaters May 17 05 of 31 The Strangers: Chapter One
Car trouble forces a cute young couple (Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch and Teen Wolf's Froy Gutierrez) to spend the night at a remote cabin in a small town, which is eerie by day and downright frightening at night.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
As the show’s sequences become more visceral and frightening to the teenager, Owen further disassociates from the material world, with Smith’s lead performance growing number and tragically detached.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 4 May 2024
But Barrett’s roommate, Mark Stone, who had a long, frightening history of violence, was able to accomplish what Barrett had repeatedly failed to do himself.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
To make this leap in midcareer was frightening, but O’Hara, who runs marathons and has gone sky-diving, doesn’t mind a certain amount of fright.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 2 May 2024
To me, real estate now is a really frightening, tricky and, quite frankly, expensive venture.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 2 May 2024
Whereas the current wave of protests, whatever their original motivations, have become not only disruptive but, for many Jewish students, frightening.
—Stephen L. Carter, Twin Cities, 1 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frightening.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near frightening
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 13 May. 2024.
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