Frightful

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Frightful

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

adjective

Pronunciation

FRYT-ful  /ˈfraɪtf(ʊ)l/

Definition

Very unpleasant, serious, or shocking; causing fright or terror; (British informal) used as an intensifier meaning very great or bad.

Plain meaning

Frightful means either genuinely terrifying, or — in British informal use — extremely bad or unpleasant: what a frightful mess, a frightful bore.

Register

The terror sense is neutral and standard. The intensifier sense is British, informal, and carries a slightly old-fashioned or comedic register.