adj

frightening

FREYE-tuh-nihng

adj

Causing fear; scary.

"It was a frightening experience being alone in the dark house."

"The statistics on climate change are frightening."

Informally, extremely bad or shocking.

"His handwriting is frightening — I can barely read a word of it."

How to Use Frightening

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomething that makes you feel scared, or (informally) something shockingly bad.

Common pairings

a frightening thought frightening speed frightening prospect

more frightening comparative, most frightening superlative

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It was a _____ experience being alone in the dark house.

Formed from "frighten" plus "-ing", turning the verb into a descriptive word.

affreux alarming spine-tingling appalling awful eldritch buggish butt-clenching buttock-clenching dismayful dreadful fearful

nonfrightening unfrightening

good bad strange nice horrid eerie afraid appalling

evening opening widening awakening happening weakening deafening maddening listening gardening sickening fattening

affreux alarming spine-tingling appalling awful eldritch buggish butt-clenching buttock-clenching dismayful dreadful fearful