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Frightful vs Frightening - What's the difference?

frightful | frightening |

As adjectives the difference between frightful and frightening

is that frightful is : Full of fright; affrighted; frightened while frightening is causing fear; of capable of causing fear; scary.

As a verb frightening is

present participle of lang=en.

frightful

English

(Webster 1913)

Alternative forms

* frightfull (archaic)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (obsolete): Full of fright; affrighted; frightened.
  • *
  • Full of that which causes fright; exciting alarm; impressing terror; shocking; as, a frightful chasm, or tempest; a frightful appearance.
  • (Used as an intensifier)
    • We wasted a frightful amount of money on renovations.

    Synonyms

    * terrible * dreadful * alarming * fearful * terrific * awful * horrid * horrible * shocking

    frightening

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Causing fear; of capable of causing fear; scary.
    • The frightening scientist lived in an old shack.
  • (figuratively) Awful, terrible, very bad.

    • Synonyms

    *

    Verb

    (head)
    • The scientist was frightening the timid children.