This set of language tips will explore the words and phrases we use to talk about feelings. This week’s tip looks at some adjectives that mean making someone feel frightened:
frightening making you feel frightened:
- It’s the most frightening film I’ve ever seen.
- It’s frightening to think what might have happened.
scary making you feel frightened: an informal word used mainly in spoken English:
- Do you like scary movies?
- It was really scary when the horse bolted.
terrifying extremely frightening:
- It was a terrifying experience.
- The car missed me by about six inches. It was absolutely terrifying.
spooky frightening in a way that makes you nervous because it involves things you cannot understand, for example ghosts and the supernatural:
- The kids love spooky stories.
- The house was really spooky once the sun had gone down.
creepy frightening in a way that makes you feel nervous, but you are not sure why:
- I had the creepy feeling someone was watching me.
- Who’s that creepy guy she was with?
Spooky and creepy are both informal words.
