Adjacent Words

frightening definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse" [syn: awful, dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible] n
1: the act of inspiring with fear [syn: terrorization, terrorisation, frightening]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Frighten Fright"en, v. t. [imp. Frightened; p. pr. & vb. n. Frightening.] [See Fright, v. t.] To disturb with fear; to throw into a state of alarm or fright; to affright; to terrify. More frightened than hurt. --Old Proverb.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If something is frightening, it makes you feel afraid, anxious, or nervous. It was a very frightening experience and they were very courageous... The number of youngsters involved in crime is frightening. = alarming ADJ • frighteningly The country is frighteningly close to possessing nuclear weapons. ADV: usu ADV adj

Moby Thesaurus

alarming, appalling, awing, browbeating, bulldozing, bullying, chilling, cowing, daunting, demoralization, deterrent, deterring, dire, disconcerting, discouraging, disheartening, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, dreadful, fear-inspiring, fearful, fearsome, formidable, frightful, hair-raising, harrowing, hectoring, horrifying, intimidating, intimidation, overawing, petrifying, psychological warfare, scaring, scary, shocking, spooky, startling, terrifying, war of nerves