frightful
10 synonyms and 1 antonym for frightful, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Causing shock, horror, or fear; dreadful.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use frightful
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
a frightful mess
frightful noise
frightful weather
The intensifying sense ("a frightful mess") is dated and mostly British; younger speakers rarely use it this way.
Etymology
Built from "fright" plus "-ful" ("full of"), so literally "full of fright" — though today it more often just means "very bad".
Full origin of frightful →Frequently asked questions
What does “frightful” mean?
The word “frightful” means causing shock, horror, or fear; dreadful. In plain terms, dreadful or shocking, or (in casual British English) simply "terrible/very great".
How do you pronounce “frightful”?
“Frightful” is pronounced FRYT-fuhl (/ˈfɹaɪtfəl/ in IPA).
How do you use “frightful” in a sentence?
Here is “frightful” used in a sentence: “They witnessed a frightful accident on the motorway.”
What is another word for “frightful”?
Words with a similar meaning to “frightful” include frightening and bad.
What part of speech is “frightful”?
“Frightful” is an adjective.
How many meanings does “frightful” have?
“Frightful” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: causing shock, horror, or fear; dreadful.
