describing things that cause fear

intimidating

in‧tim‧i‧dat‧ing /ɪˈtɪmədeɪtɪŋ, ɪˈtɪmɪdeɪtɪŋ/ BrE AmE adjective
making you feel worried and not confident:
Some people find interview situations very intimidating.
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THESAURUS
▪ frightening making you feel frightened: Being held at gunpoint had been the most frightening moment of his life. | The experience was very frightening.
▪ scary especially spoken frightening. Scary is less formal than frightening and is very common in everyday English: The movie was really scary. | There were some scary moments.
▪ chilling frightening, especially because violence, cruelty, or danger is involved: a chilling tale of revenge, murder and madness | The court heard chilling details about the attack.
▪ spooky frightening and strange, especially because something involves ghosts or powers that people do not understand: The forest is really spooky in the dark. | a spooky coincidence | spooky stories
▪ creepy informal frightening in a way that makes you feel nervous, especially when you are not sure exactly why – used especially about places, people, and feelings: This place is really creepy. Let’s get out of here. | a creepy guy | Do you know that creepy feeling when you're sure someone’s there but you can’t see or hear anything?
▪ eerie especially literary strange and frightening: There was an eerie silence immediately after the bomb went off. | an eerie light | an eerie feeling
▪ intimidating making you feel frightened, nervous, or lacking in confidence: Big schools can be an intimidating place for young children. | Giving evidence in court is often a rather intimidating experience. | the intimidating presence of a large number of soldiers
▪ menacing frightening because you think someone is going to hurt you, even though they have not said or done anything violent – used especially about someone’s expression or voice: The woman had a very menacing look. | ‘I’d like to have a word with you outside,’ he said in a menacing tone.