On the most basic level these two words should mean the same thing.
Fearful: full of fear.
Frightful: full of fright (fright is to be afraid, which means you are full of fear)
BUT NO!!
Frightful: full of an attribute that makes others afraid
Wha?
How on earth did frightful get to mean 'scary' instead of 'scared?'
I mean, you'd be willing to say 'I'm a fearful person.' (maybe)
But I can guarantee there are very few people who'd say 'I'm a frightful person.' It'd be like you were admitting you ate babies for breakfast and worked for a Drug Overlord. (Doesn't that sound much cooler than just your plain old Drug Lord? Drug Overlord is far better).
Now that you are better informed in your language--Go Forth! Prosper in great numbers! And teach proper word usage while you prosper!
No comments:
Post a Comment