ENGLISH
REFERENCE

frightening

n.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈfɹaɪtənɪŋ// UK //fɹˈaɪtənɪŋ// fright·en·ing General-service

n. making you feel afraid or anxious. You use this to describe something that scares you, like a loud noise or a scary movie.

n. causing fear, dread, or alarm. Often used to describe external stimuli or situations that provoke an immediate emotional response of terror.


SIMPLE

The dark forest looks very frightening at night.

CONTEXTUAL

It was frightening to realize how quickly the storm clouds were moving toward the small boat.

COMPLEX

The sudden drop in the stock market was frightening for investors who had placed their entire life savings into a single volatile industry.

Synonyms
Origin

From frighten + -ing.

Usage

Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun or a predicative adjective after a linking verb.

Pitfall

I am very frightening of spiders.I am very frightened of spiders.Learners often confuse the -ing adjective (the cause of the feeling) with the -ed adjective (the person experiencing the feeling).

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