as in terrifying
causing fear
a truly frightening movie
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scaring
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Recent Examples of frightening
Angel Saunders, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Granted that a 1 degree Celsius change in world average temperature can translate into a 4-degree Celsius increase in some of the most climate precarious countries, this last scenario is frightening.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
While studying a rare species whose mating call appears to be the frightening shrieks the team has been hearing in the woods, the pair hired Kodiak (McHale) as their guide.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2025
Now, the focus turns to the Colorado Avalanche, a contending team that is as frightening as Nathan MacKinnon entering the offensive zone with a full head of steam.
—Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Adjective
American Airlines Flight Forced to Abort Landing to Avoid Collision with Plane on Runway
The wife and mother told the news station that her family’s seats weren’t together, which made the emergency situation all the more frightening.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Granted that a 1 degree Celsius change in world average temperature can translate into a 4-degree Celsius increase in some of the most climate precarious countries, this last scenario is frightening.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
While studying a rare species whose mating call appears to be the frightening shrieks the team has been hearing in the woods, the pair hired Kodiak (McHale) as their guide.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2025
Now, the focus turns to the Colorado Avalanche, a contending team that is as frightening as Nathan MacKinnon entering the offensive zone with a full head of steam.
—Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightening
Adjective
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Back in August, Renner spoke about how his terrifying snowplow accident in January 2023 led to his daughter becoming a little more independent.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Prehistoric insects encased in amber reveal a terrifying evolutionary road that dead-ended sometime after the mid-Cretaceous period.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The scary part is how quickly and naturally this thinking could extend to current employees.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The scariest unknown for women with cancer, after the disease itself, can be their husbands—a staggering number of whom abandon their wives in the wake of a diagnosis.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the great-power competition with the United States’ adversaries, none is more formidable than the Chinese Communist Party.—
Arthur Herman,
National Review,
3 Apr. 2025
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Tyler Glasnow is formidable on the mound when healthy.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Jung-bae wound up in a room of three, with Player 001 and some rando — but Player 001 choked the stranger to death in time to reduce their head count, shocking Jung-bae more than a bit.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
26 Dec. 2024
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Fox News Digital obtained shocking audio between Cyrus and his estranged wife where the country crooner is heard berating his Australian ex and using profane language.—
Ashley Hume,
Fox News,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Some veterans have impressed at the midpoint of coach Mike Norvell's spring-practice rebuilding as FSU aims to recover from last year's horrible campaign.—
Bob Ferrante,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
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But then two horrible shifts by the Wild turned the game upside down in the blink of an eye.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The rhetoric pushed here is that someone with a high body count has less value and will either make a terrible partner or no one will want them in the first place.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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The domestic box office is presently in a terrible state, and Minecraft could prove to be the shot of confidence Hollywood studios and cinema owners need after recent films, including Disney’s Snow White, have turned into major disappointments.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Liston was famous for being ill-tempered and intimidating.—
Jerry McDonald,
The Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
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Being invited to speak to a group of leaders—whether peers, senior executives or cross-functional stakeholders—can feel both exciting and intimidating.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightening. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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