Synonyms for petrifying

Most common

scary · terrifying · frightening

All synonyms

Adjective

Definitions

1. adj. 1

   Causing immense fear; extremely scary

   The idea of speaking in front of such a large audience was petrifying.

Example sentences

• scary Was it scary for you to live in the United States?
• terrifying Ziri listened to one of Rima's terrifying stories.
• frightening I was terrified of receiving a frightening answer.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

5 letters

scary²

10 letters

terrifying⁴

11 letters

frightening³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (scary² = 2 syllables).