What does frightfully mean?
Frightfully is an adverb with two principal senses that reflect its curious history. Its dominant modern use, especially in British English, is as an intensifier meaning 'extremely' or 'very': one can be frightfully sorry, frightfully clever, or frightfully kind. This usage is closely associated with a polished, upper-class British register, so much so that it has become a cultural shorthand for posh speech and is frequently deployed ironically. The word's older, literal sense — dreadful, alarming, or terrible — derives from its root in 'fright', meaning sudden fear, and survives in descriptions of genuinely distressing things. Though rare in American English, where 'terribly' or 'awfully' serve the same intensifying role, 'frightfully' remains a distinctive marker of a particular style of English politeness, making it both linguistically interesting and culturally evocative.
adverbFrightfully means extremely or very, and is used chiefly as an intensifier; it also carries a secondary sense meaning dreadfully or alarmingly. In modern usage, especially in British English, the 'very' meaning predominates.
- As an intensifier: extremely, very (e.g. 'frightfully clever'), especially in formal or upper-class British register.
- Literally or figuratively: dreadfully, alarmingly, or terribly, in line with the older sense of causing fright.
"She was frightfully sorry to hear about the accident."
"He was frightfully apologetic about arriving late to dinner."
"The storm grew frightfully violent before dawn."
In polite British English, 'frightfully' stopped meaning frightening centuries ago — now it's how you say 'very' while sounding like you're at a garden party.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of frightfully
Frightfully derives from 'frightful', which was formed from 'fright', a native Old English word meaning sudden fear or terror. In Middle English, 'fright' combined with the adverbial suffix '-ly' through the adjective 'frightful', following the common pattern of adjective-plus-ly forming adverbs. Originally the word meant literally dreadful or terrifying, but from the late eighteenth century onward it increasingly came to be used simply as an intensifier meaning 'very', a shift paralleled by related terms such as 'terribly' and 'awfully'. Its cognates within English include 'fright', 'frighten', and 'frightened'.
Related word forms
How frightfully is actually used
The intensifier sense is strongly associated with British English and carries a distinctly upper-crust, sometimes self-mocking tone — phrases like 'frightfully sorry' or 'frightfully kind of you' are often used ironically or to evoke a bygone era. In American English the word appears rarely, and when it does, the literal 'dreadful' sense is more likely intended.
Easily confused with frightfully
'Frightful' is the adjective describing something dreadful or alarming, while 'frightfully' is its adverbial form, most often used today as a mannered intensifier meaning 'very'.