#1 frightening s. [awful, dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, horrendous, horrific, terrible] causing fear or dread or terror; "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"; ". wn
#2 frightening n. [terrorization, terrorisation] the act of inspiring with fear. wn
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