Frightful and Terrifying

Frightful

Frightful adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: a frightful sound emanated from somewhere deep within the forest

Terrifying is a synonym for frightful in participle topic. In some cases you can use "Terrifying" instead an adjective "Frightful", when it comes to topics like terrible, alarming.

Nearby Words: frightening, frightened, fright, frightfully, frighted

Terrifying

Terrifying adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: heard a terrifying noise coming from the next room

Frightful is a synonym for terrifying. You can use "Frightful" instead an adjective "Terrifying".

Nearby Words: terrify, terrified
Cite this Source
Terrifying and Frightful. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/frightful/terrifying
Frightful & Terrifying. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/frightful/terrifying>.
Terrifying or Frightful. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/frightful/terrifying.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "frightful" and "terrifying" have occurred on timeline