frightening

adjective
UK: /ˈfraɪtənɪŋ/
US: /ˈfraɪtənɪŋ/

  1. Making you feel afraid; causing fear.

    1. The movie was very frightening.
    2. It's frightening to think what might happen if we don't address climate change.

  2. Causing worry or concern.

    1. The news is frightening.
    2. The frightening rise in unemployment has everyone worried about the future.

Synonyms

scary alarming terrifying daunting intimidating menacing
frightening verb

  1. Present participle of frighten: causing fear.

    1. The dog was frightening the cat.
    2. The loud noise was frightening all the birds in the park, causing them to fly away.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "frightening" in English means: Making you feel afraid; causing fear., Causing worry or concern..

The phonetic transcription of "frightening" is /ˈfraɪtənɪŋ/ in British English and /ˈfraɪtənɪŋ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "frightening": scary, alarming, terrifying, daunting, intimidating, menacing.

Example usage of "frightening": "The movie was very frightening.". More examples on the page.