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
For example, people often dodge screenings and diagnostic tests to avoid the frightening possibility of discovering cancer.
—Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
Demi Moore is sharing scary photos of a frightening side of her character in the body horror movie The Substance.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
The frightening concoction is the same for all legacy media companies that rely on traditional pay-TV for the bulk of their revenue: Cable subscribers are dropping by the millions each year, and streaming – as a replacement service – is either unprofitable or barely profitable.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Katie Hafner: Getting a breast cancer diagnosis is frightening at any time.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for frightening 
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Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
Demi Moore is sharing scary photos of a frightening side of her character in the body horror movie The Substance.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
The frightening concoction is the same for all legacy media companies that rely on traditional pay-TV for the bulk of their revenue: Cable subscribers are dropping by the millions each year, and streaming – as a replacement service – is either unprofitable or barely profitable.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Katie Hafner: Getting a breast cancer diagnosis is frightening at any time.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 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 Nov. 2024.
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