frightful

[ frahyt-fuhl ]

adjective

1. such as to cause fright; dreadful, terrible, or alarming:

   A frightful howl woke us.

   Synonyms: awful, fearful

   Antonyms: delightful

2. horrible, shocking, or revolting:

   The storm did frightful damage.

   Synonyms: gruesome, ghastly, horrid, dread, hideous

   Antonyms: delightful

3. Informal. unpleasant; disagreeable:

   We had a frightful time.

4. Informal. very great; extreme:

   That actor is very talented but a frightful ham.

frightful

/ ˈfraɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. very alarming, distressing, or horrifying
2. unpleasant, annoying, or extreme

   a frightful hurry

Derived Forms

• ˈfrightfulness, noun

Other Words From

• frightful·ly adverb
• frightful·ness noun
• un·frightful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of frightful¹

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; fright, -ful

Example Sentences

Walker said the conditions for such a catch are frightful.

From Los Angeles Times

She added it was "scarcely credible such a frightful pub exists in Cymru".

From BBC

The King, who has an occupational interest in signing things, looked at earlier versions of rolls on shiny parchment and said: "You'd have frightful difficulty signing on that."

From BBC

It’s a frightful and gargantuan performance that should come with a trigger warning.

From New York Times

When this frightful journey from Africa’s west coast was over, the survivors were usually delivered to the islands of Jamaica and Barbados or to Brazil, in South America.

From Literature

Related Words

• awful
• calamitous
• dreadful
• ghastly
• hideous
• horrible
• lewd
• shocking
• terrible
• terrific
• unpleasant