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Prepositions after adjectives

Frightening for or frightening to?

Frightening to is the more common pattern when describing a reaction. Frightening for is used when something is frightening for a person or group experiencing it.

Quick answer

Frightening for vs. frightening to

Use frightening to someone to describe an emotional effect on a person. Use frightening for someone when talking about an experience or situation affecting them.

The film was frightening to young children.
The sudden changes were frightening for new employees.
It can be frightening to live alone at first.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
frightening to + person

Describing emotional impact

Use frightening to when something causes fear in a person.

The story was frightening to the audience.
Dark tunnels are frightening to some children.
2
frightening for + person

Describing a difficult experience for someone

Use frightening for when focusing on the experience from a person's perspective.

The storm was frightening for the passengers.
Moving abroad can be frightening for teenagers.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
frightening to
The noise was frightening to the baby.
causing fear in someone
frightening for
The evacuation was frightening for local families.
difficult or scary from someone's perspective
frightening at
The phrase frightening at is not a standard pattern before a noun phrase.
generally nonstandard as a direct complement

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using frightening at as a direct pattern

Frightening at is not a standard adjective pattern.

✕ The experience was frightening at children. ✓ The experience was frightening to children.

Confusing for and to

To emphasizes emotional effect; for emphasizes the person's situation or experience.

✕ The thunderstorm was frightening to the hikers during the night. ✓ The thunderstorm was frightening for the hikers during the night.

Omitting the person after to

Frightening to normally takes a person or group.

✕ The speech was frightening to. ✓ The speech was frightening to investors.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The movie was frightening ___ young viewers.
2. The evacuation was frightening ___ residents.
3. Which option is generally nonstandard as a direct pattern?

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Frequently asked questions

Is frightening to more common than frightening for?

Yes. Frightening to is widely used to describe fear caused in someone.

Can frightening for and frightening to both be correct?

Sometimes. The choice depends on whether you focus on emotional effect or the person's experience.

Is frightening at correct?

Not usually as a direct complement after frightening. At may appear in separate structures with other meanings.

face-to-face-with-in-at-for, to "fair to" or "fair in"? faithful to, in, of, with or for? falling of, in, out, into or off? "false in" or "false to"? famed for, as, in or throughout? familiar with, to, from or in? famous for, in, of, by or as? fanatical about, in, as, for or of? "fantastic for" or "fantastic in"? far from, in, to, for or with? fascinating to, about, in, for or as?

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