Meaning & use

frightening

adjective·Everyday

Causing fear, alarm, or a strong feeling of unease.

See it in a sentence

The sudden crash of thunder was frightening enough to wake the whole house.

It's frightening how quickly the wildfire spread across the hillside.

A note on using this word

Frightening is a fairly neutral, common word, less intense than terrifying but stronger than mildly worrying.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

reassuringcomforting

Make it your own

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