Frightfully

Pronunciation: /fraɪt.fəl.i/

Definitions of frightfully

adverb used to emphasize the degree or extent of something, typically to convey a sense of fear or alarm

Example Sentences

A1 She was frightfully scared of the dark.

A2 The haunted house was frightfully spooky.

B1 The thunderstorm was frightfully loud.

B2 The horror movie was frightfully intense.

C1 The politician's actions were frightfully unethical.

C2 The consequences of the war were frightfully devastating.

Examples of frightfully in a Sentence

formal The situation was frightfully serious and required immediate attention.

informal I'm frightfully tired after staying up all night studying.

slang That horror movie was frightfully good, I couldn't stop screaming!

figurative The news of his resignation came as a frightfully cold shower to the team.

Grammatical Forms of frightfully

• past tense: frightened
• plural: frightfully
• comparative: more frightfully
• superlative: most frightfully
• present tense: frightfully
• future tense: will be frightfully
• perfect tense: have been frightfully
• continuous tense: is being frightfully
• singular: frightful
• positive degree: frightful
• infinitive: to frighten
• gerund: frightening
• participle: frightened

Origin and Evolution of frightfully

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The word 'frightfully' originated from the combination of 'fright' and the suffix '-ful', which means full of or characterized by.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to mean causing fear or terror, 'frightfully' has evolved to also mean extremely or excessively, as in 'frightfully expensive'.