Frightful
/ˈfraɪt.fəl/noun
Causing fear or alarm; very bad or unpleasant.
Did you know?‘Frightful’ comes from Old English *fyrhtu* / *forht* roots tied to fear and trembling, and that same ancient fear-root lives on in words like ‘fear’ and ‘fright.’
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to tremble, shake with fear”
Old English
English
fyrhtu
“fear, terror”
Old English
English
forht
“afraid, timid”
Middle English
English
frightful
“full of fear; dreadful”
Modern English
English
frightful
“causing fear or alarm; very bad or unpleasant”