frightful
[ frahyt-fuhl ]
/ ˈfraɪt fəl /
adjective
such as to cause fright; dreadful, terrible, or alarming: A frightful howl woke us.
horrible, shocking, or revolting: The storm did frightful damage.
Informal. unpleasant; disagreeable: We had a frightful time.
Informal. very great; extreme: That actor is very talented but a frightful ham.
RELATED WORDS
dreadful, lewd, calamitous, terrible, terrific, unpleasant, ghastly, horrible, awful, shocking, hideous, annoying, bad, disagreeable, extreme, great, insufferable, vile, wicked, wrong
Nearby words
- fright wig,
- frighten,
- frightened,
- frightener,
- frightening,
- frightfully,
- frigid,
- frigid zone,
- frigidaire,
- frigidarium
Origin of frightful
SYNONYMS FOR frightful
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for frightful
frightful
/ (ˈfraɪtfʊl) /
adjective
very alarming, distressing, or horrifying
unpleasant, annoying, or extremea frightful hurry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
frightful
mid-13c., "timid;" c.1600 "alarming;" from fright + -ful. In common with most -ful adjectives, it once had both an active and passive sense. Meaning "dreadful, horrible, shocking" (often hyperbolic) is attested from c.1700; Johnson noted it as "a cant word among women for anything unpleasing." Related: Frightfully.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper