Frightfully — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈfrīt-fəl/ fright·ful

Meaning & Definition of Frightfully

Frightfully (adjective)

  1. causing intense fear or alarm, terrifying
  2. startling especially in being bad or objectionable
  3. extreme

Frightfully (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to a great degree

    "that coat is frightfully expensive, so don't spill anything on it"

    similar: achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous (chiefly dialect), mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, very, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly, a lot, as all get-out, good and
    related: absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly, abundantly, plentifully, astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally, excessively, obscenely, overmuch, amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
    opposite: little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
    near: meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Related Entry: Frightful (adjective)

Frightful is a different word from Frightfully. The synonyms below are for frightful, not for frightfully.

  1. causing fear

    "a frightful sound emanated from somewhere deep within the forest"

    similar: alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, shocking, spine-chilling, terrible, terrifying
    related: daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, appalling, atrocious, awful, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish
    near: calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening

  2. extremely disturbing or repellent

    "I couldn't listen to the frightful details of the murder trial"

    similar: appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific
    related: alarming, bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, gut-wrenching, hair-raising, heart-stopping, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, terrifying, abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, abominable, evil, foul, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable, vile, grotesque, ugly, unsightly
    near: agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, cheering, comforting, soothing

  3. extreme in degree, power, or effect

    "flew into a frightful fit of rage"

    similar: acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent
    related: accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened, emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified, stressed, exhaustive, thorough, harsh, rigorous, severe
    opposite: light, moderate, soft
    near: feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down), abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Frightfully

The most common words with a similar meaning to Frightfully:

Chiefly dialect: monstrous
achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly, extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, jolly, majorly, mightily

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Frightfully

Words with the opposite meaning of Frightfully:

little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat

Related Words for Frightfully

absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly, deeply, profoundly, exceptionally, notably, remarkably, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially, appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly

Near Antonyms of Frightfully

meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Word Forms of Frightfully

Derived words: frightfully (adverb), frightfulness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Frightfully

fright:1 + -ful:1

First known use: 1607

Frequently Asked Questions about Frightfully

What does "Frightfully" mean?

"Frightfully" means causing intense fear or alarm, terrifying. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: causing intense fear or alarm, terrifying.

What is another word for "Frightfully"?

Other words for "Frightfully" include achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly and blisteringly. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Frightfully" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Frightfully"?

There are 124 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Frightfully". Common alternatives include achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone and colossally.

What is the opposite of "Frightfully"?

Antonyms of "Frightfully" include little, negligibly, nominally, slightly and somewhat. Near antonyms include meagerly, scantily, barely and hardly.

How do you use "Frightfully" in a sentence?

Examples of "Frightfully" in a sentence: "that coat is frightfully expensive, so don't spill anything on it".

Is "Frightfully" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Frightfully" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Frightfully"?

"Frightfully" is pronounced /ˈfrīt-fəl/ and divided into syllables as fright·ful.

What is the origin of the word "Frightfully"?

"Frightfully" comes from fright:1 + -ful:1. First known use: 1607.