What is the meaning of frightening?

noun

• The act of inspiring with fear.
  • synonyms: terrorization, terrorisation

verb

• Cause fear in.
  • usage: "The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me"; "Ghosts could never affright her"
  • synonyms: frighten, fright, scare, affright
• Drive out by frightening.
  • synonyms: frighten

adjective

• Causing fear or dread or terror.
  • usage: "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse"
  • synonyms: awful, dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, horrendous, horrific, terrible