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.
Usage: {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.