adjective
- Provoking horror.
- usage: "an atrocious automobile accident"; "a frightful crime of decapitation"; "an alarming, even horrifying, picture"; "war is beyond all words horrible- Winston Churchill; "an ugly wound"
- synonyms: atrocious, horrifying, horrible, ugly
- Extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact.
- usage: "in a frightful hurry"; "spent a frightful amount of money"
- synonyms: terrible, awful, tremendous
- Extremely distressing.
- usage: "fearful slum conditions"; "a frightful mistake"
- synonyms: fearful
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). frightful. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/frightful/definitions/1174548 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "frightful" http://smartdefine.org/frightful/definitions/1174548 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, frightful, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/frightful/definitions/1174548>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "frightful" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/frightful/definitions/1174548> |