MEANING
Causing fear or distress; also used for something exceptionally unpleasant or severe.
Use it for
Use for fear-provoking details or deliberately heightened narration.Give a sight, sound, or weather condition an unmistakably alarming quality.
Words that belong together
- frightful sight
- frightful noise
- frightful weather
On the page
A frightful face appeared behind the frost-clouded glass.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- frightful
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Usage notes
Frightful can be literal or a broad intensifier meaning very bad; it may sound literary or old-fashioned in modern dialogue.
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