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.Examples of frightening in a Sentence
a truly frightening movie
Recent Examples on the Web
How to check food labels for allergies Howard's story is frightening and not entirely uncommon.
—Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 12 June 2025
The frightening incident unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship on June 8.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Critics of the administration’s tactics, including former Homeland Security officials, said the White House’s strategy boils down to frightening immigrants into leaving on their own.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
Incredible Power And Duty Another concern is that AGI will be a geo-political tool for nations to dominate other nations (see my analysis at the link here), and the aspect that a lone individual would have AGI in their solo hands is rather frightening.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
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Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 12 June 2025
The frightening incident unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship on June 8.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Critics of the administration’s tactics, including former Homeland Security officials, said the White House’s strategy boils down to frightening immigrants into leaving on their own.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
Incredible Power And Duty Another concern is that AGI will be a geo-political tool for nations to dominate other nations (see my analysis at the link here), and the aspect that a lone individual would have AGI in their solo hands is rather frightening.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
Cite this Entry
“Frightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightening. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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