Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [frahyt-fuh l]
- /ˈfraɪt fəl/
- /ˈfraɪt.fəl/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [frahyt-fuh l]
- /ˈfraɪt fəl/
Definitions of frightful word
- adjective frightful such as to cause fright; dreadful, terrible, or alarming: A frightful howl woke us. 1
- adjective frightful horrible, shocking, or revolting: The storm did frightful damage. 1
- adjective frightful Informal. unpleasant; disagreeable: We had a frightful time. 1
- adjective frightful Informal. very great; extreme: That actor is very talented but a frightful ham. 1
- noun frightful Very unpleasant, serious, or shocking. 1
- adjective frightful horrifying 1
Information block about the term
Origin of frightful
First appearance:
before 1200 One of the 9% oldest English words
Middle English word dating back to 1200-50; See origin at fright, -ful
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Frightful
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
frightful popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 62% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
frightful usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for frightful
adj frightful
- dreadful — causing great dread, fear, or terror; terrible: a dreadful storm.
- lewd — inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious.
- calamitous — If you describe an event or situation as calamitous, you mean it is very unfortunate or serious.
- terrible — distressing; severe: a terrible winter.
- terrific — extraordinarily great or intense: terrific speed.
Antonyms for frightful
adj frightful
- pleasant — pleasing, agreeable, or enjoyable; giving pleasure: pleasant news.
- pleasing — giving pleasure; agreeable; gratifying: a pleasing performance.
- wonderful — excellent; great; marvelous: We all had a wonderful weekend.
- comforting — If you say that something is comforting, you mean it makes you feel less worried or unhappy.
- delightful — If you describe something or someone as delightful, you mean they are very pleasant.
Top questions with frightful
- when the weather outside is frightful?
- what does frightful mean?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with f
- Words starting with fr
- Words starting with fri
- Words starting with frig
- Words starting with frigh
- Words starting with fright
- Words starting with frightf
- Words starting with frightfu
- Words starting with frightful