Frightening
/ˈfraɪtnɪŋ/
Definitions
Causing fear or anxiety; alarming.
/ˈfraɪtnɪŋ/
Causing fear or alarm.
The dark forest looked frightening.
💡 Simply: Imagine a really scary movie or a sudden loud noise. That's *frightening*! It's like when you feel scared or nervous because something seems dangerous or unexpected.
👶 For kids: Making you feel scared.
More Examples
The thunderstorm was a frightening experience.
The clown's makeup was quite frightening to the children.
How It's Used
"The movie had a very frightening scene."
"Frightening experiences can lead to phobias."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
frighten someone out of their wits
To scare someone very badly.
"The loud crash frightened her out of her wits."
frighten the life out of someone
To scare someone a great deal; to greatly alarm someone.
"The sudden noise frightened the life out of me."
From Middle English fright, frighte (noun) and frighten (verb), derived from Old English fyrhtan (to terrify), related to Old English forht (afraid). The modern -en ending is a common verb-forming suffix.
The word has been used since the late 14th century, initially as a verb, and gradually evolving to the adjective form.
Memory tip
Think of a *frightening* monster under your bed - it makes you afraid.
Word Origin
"To terrify, scare"