frightening
gb/fɹˈaɪtnɪŋ/ us/fɹˈaɪtnɪŋ/
B1
English
~ 8100
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
causing fear or great worry
Making you feel very afraid or very worried.
Usage pattern:
a frightening [thing/situation/idea]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "frightening" with "frightened". Use "frightening" for the thing that causes fear ("The movie is frightening") and "frightened" for the person who feels fear ("I am frightened").
Synonyms
scary (Slightly more informal and very common in everyday speech, with a similar level of fear.)
|
terrifying (Stronger than "frightening"; suggests very intense or extreme fear.)
|
alarming (Focuses more on causing worry or concern than on pure fear.)
Antonyms
reassuring (Gives comfort and removes fear or worry, the opposite emotional effect of something frightening.)
|
comforting (Makes someone feel safe and less afraid, contrasting with causing fear.)
Collocations
frightening experience
|frightening thought
|frightening speed
|really frightening
|quite frightening
|deeply frightening
Themes
emotions
|safety
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It was a truly frightening experience to be alone in the house during the storm.
- The idea of losing her job is frightening to her.
- Climbing that narrow, icy path looked far too frightening for inexperienced hikers.
- The movie wasn’t very good, but a few scenes were genuinely frightening.
- His sudden anger was more frightening than his words.
Learner examples
- That horror movie was very frightening for me.
- The dark street was frightening, so we walked quickly.
- It is frightening to think about a big war.
- The noise outside our window was frightening.
- Flying can be frightening for some people.
Verb
B2
action
2
causing someone to feel afraid
Doing something that makes a person feel afraid or very worried.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is frightening [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "He is frightening" when they mean "He is frightened". "He is frightening" (verb or adjective) means he causes fear in others; "He is frightened" means he feels afraid. Also, learners may use "frightening" instead of the base verb "frighten" in dictionaries; remember that "frightening" here is the -ing form used in continuous tenses ("is frightening"), not the infinitive.
Synonyms
scaring (More informal and very common; often used for both small and big fears.)
|
intimidating (Adds a feeling of pressure or threat, especially from power or strength.)
Antonyms
calming (Means making someone feel less afraid or less upset, the opposite of causing fear.)
|
reassuring (Means saying or doing something to reduce fear or worry, not to create it.)
Collocations
frightening the children
|frightening people away
|frightening the animals
|frightening customers off
Themes
emotions
|social
|safety
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- You’re frightening the kids by shouting like that.
- The loud explosions were frightening the dogs in the neighborhood.
- The company’s sudden changes are frightening investors and staff alike.
- Her aggressive tone was frightening people away from the discussion.
- They worried that the dark news reports were frightening the public unnecessarily.
Learner examples
- Please stop; you are frightening the baby.
- The big dog is frightening my little brother.
- The teacher raised his voice and it was frightening the students.
- The storm was frightening the animals on the farm.
- Your story is frightening the children, so talk more softly.
Grammar
Dictionary form
frightening
IPA
GB/fɹˈaɪtnɪŋ/
US/fɹˈaɪtnɪŋ/
Syllables & stress
fright - en - ing (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (fright)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: frightening
Word family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.