Fright"ful (?), a. 1.
Full of fright; affrighted; frightened. [Obs.]
See how the frightful herds run from the
wood.
W. Browne.
2. Full of that which causes fright; exciting
alarm; impressing terror; shocking; as, a frightful chasm, or
tempest; a frightful appearance.
Syn. -- Terrible; dreadful; alarming; fearful; terrific;
awful; horrid; horrible; shocking. -- Frightful,
Dreadful, Awful. These words all express fear. In
frightful, it is a sudden emotion; in dreadful, it is
deeper and more prolonged; in awful, the fear is mingled with
the emotion of awe, which subdues us before the presence of some
invisible power. An accident may be frightful; the approach of
death is dreadful to most men; the convulsions of the
earthquake are awful.
