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
That Daniel Penny acted to defend others from a frightening figure on the train was of no legal relevance, from the prosecution’s point of view, given that Neely did not have a weapon or threaten a specific passenger directly.
—Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
However, Humbert decided to go it alone and ended up being the victim of quite a frightening shark attack.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
In a dashcam video captured in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, one driver experienced a thankfully not deadly, but still frightening ordeal when a load of construction materials fell from a lumber truck driving on the overpass above.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024
Boomer Sooner night: As scary as Monday evening got, at times, imagine how much more frightening this one might’ve been for the Broncos without their Boomer Sooner duo of former Oklahoma stars Nik Bonitto and Marvin Mims Jr.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2024
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Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
However, Humbert decided to go it alone and ended up being the victim of quite a frightening shark attack.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
In a dashcam video captured in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, one driver experienced a thankfully not deadly, but still frightening ordeal when a load of construction materials fell from a lumber truck driving on the overpass above.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024
Boomer Sooner night: As scary as Monday evening got, at times, imagine how much more frightening this one might’ve been for the Broncos without their Boomer Sooner duo of former Oklahoma stars Nik Bonitto and Marvin Mims Jr.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for frightening
Dictionary Entries Near frightening
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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