frightful
/ˈfɹaɪtfəl/ adjective, adverb
Forms frightfull
- adjective Afraid, frightened.
- adjective Timid, fearful, easily frightened.
- adjective Genuinely horrific, awful, or alarming.
- adjective (hyperbolic) Unpleasant, dreadful, awful (also used as an intensifier).
- adverb (dialect) Frightfully; very.
Synonyms
frightening bad atrocious horrifying horrible ugly terrible awful tremendous fearful
Etymology
From Middle English frightful (“afraid”), from Old English forhtfull (“fainthearted, timorous”). Equivalent to fright + -ful.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Full of fright; affrighted; frightened. [Obs.]
- adjective Full of that which causes fright; exciting alarm; impressing terror; shocking; as, a frightful chasm, or tempest; a frightful appearance.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “frightful”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details