Frightful Meaning
/ˈfɹaɪtfəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjFull of fright, whether
adjFull of fright, whether, Afraid, frightened.
Sentence Examples
It was frightful when my car skidded on the ice.
I was filled with frightful sorrow for her.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ storm last night destroyed many homes and terrified the residents.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The messy state of the room after the chaotic party was simply ____ and took hours to clean up.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English frightful (“afraid”), from Old English forhtfull (“fainthearted, timorous”). Equivalent to fright + -ful.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"See how the frightful herds run from the wood."
— 1613, William Browne, Britannia's Pastorals:
"Francis Urquhart: What a frightful little man. Where do they find them these days?
Tim Stamper: God knows. If I had a dog like that, I'd shoot it.
Francis Urquhart: Well, yes. Quite."
— 1990, House of Cards, season 1, episode 1:
"You had a lot of frightful good quotes. You must know half the books that there are."
— 1926, Charles Edward Montague, Rough Justice, page 87:
"It's a frightful long time, and I don't get many letters from him."
— 1942, Philip Gibbs, The Long Alert, page 200:
"But we ain't found a soul what knows you, honey-love, I am so frightful sorry to say."
— 2018, Abbie Williams, Way Back:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ storm last night destroyed many homes and terrified the residents.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The messy state of the room after the chaotic party was simply ____ and took hours to clean up.