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
One of the most effectively frightening gags in the movie is little more than an actor in ghoulish makeup tunneling under a bedsheet.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025
And frightening, even to the leaders around Xi Jinping in Beijing.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 29 July 2025
Fittingly, the music is intense, darkly funny, frequently beautiful, absurd, sometimes frightening, belligerent, angry, crazy.
—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2025
Passengers aboard Southwest flight 1496 from Burbank, California to Las Vegas, Nevada experienced a frightening few seconds when the aircraft took a sudden nosedive to avoid a midair collision shortly after takeoff.
—Alexandra Koch , Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightening
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Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025
And frightening, even to the leaders around Xi Jinping in Beijing.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 29 July 2025
Fittingly, the music is intense, darkly funny, frequently beautiful, absurd, sometimes frightening, belligerent, angry, crazy.
—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2025
Passengers aboard Southwest flight 1496 from Burbank, California to Las Vegas, Nevada experienced a frightening few seconds when the aircraft took a sudden nosedive to avoid a midair collision shortly after takeoff.
—Alexandra Koch , Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 25 July 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 7 Aug. 2025.
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