Definition

Noun: 1. The quality or state of being extremely alarming, terrifying, or dreadful. It refers to the inherent characteristic of something that causes intense fear, horror, or shock. 2. (Historical/Military) Deliberate and extreme cruelty or terror, especially as a tactic of war. This specific usage often refers to acts intended to intimidate and demoralize an enemy or civilian population.

Usage Examples

• Noun (General Quality):
  • The sheer frightfulness of the natural disaster left survivors in a state of profound trauma.
  • The novel captures the frightfulness of the haunted house with vivid descriptions.
• Noun (Historical/Military Context):
  • The doctrine of frightfulness (Schrecklichkeit) was employed by some military forces to crush resistance through terror.
  • Historians debate the strategic effectiveness of such calculated frightfulness.

Advanced Usage

• "Frightfulness" as a Doctrine: In early 20th-century military history, the term was specifically associated with the German concept of , a policy of using extreme severity to deter opposition.
• Often used in formal, literary, or historical analysis rather than in everyday conversation, where words like "horror," "terror," or "awfulness" are more common.

Variants and Related Words

• Frightful (adj.): Causing fright; alarming, terrible, or shocking.
  • They survived a frightful storm.
• Frightfully (adv.): To a frightful degree; very (often used as an intensifier in British English).
  • It was frightfully cold. / She is frightfully clever.
• Frighten (v.): To make afraid; to scare.
  • The loud noise frightened the child.

Synonyms

• Horror
• Dreadfulness
• Terribleness
• Atrocity (closer to the military sense)
• Hideousness

Antonyms

• Pleasantness
• Delightfulness
• Comfort
• Reassurance

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Reign of terror: A period of remorseless repression or bloodshed. This phrase is conceptually related to the military/political sense of .
  • The dictator's reign of terror was marked by extreme frightfulness.

Noun

1. the quality of being frightful