FRIGHTEN Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

frighten

verb

ˈfrī-tᵊn

Definition of frighten

as in to scare

to strike with fear around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of frighten Come back to the conversation Whereas adults may be able to more quickly move on with their daily lives after feeling disturbed or frightened by upsetting media, children may experience more elevated and prolonged stress. — Anahi Collado, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026 Last Friday, the artist Pink published a lengthy criticism of Macklemore’s on-stage polemic, writing that his comments and use of violent wartime imagery had frightened many Jewish people, including her. — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 16 Sep. 2026 However, Stone told Bialik that she was not frightened by the encounter. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026 The prospect of Sean Steur or Lewis Hall — whose contract situation Wilson refused to be drawn on, despite being asked three times — leaving is not something which frightens the hierarchy. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frighten

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten

Verb

There are a few other helpful features, such as two-way talk to speak with visitors on the other side of your door, as well as a siren that can scare away any unwanted parties.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026
More than anything, this adaptation feels scared of being too unlikable or scaring anyone too much.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of scare

Verb

By this point, the audience knows the monster a little too well to be properly terrified of her.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Though privacy concerns around these agents’ access may be terrifying in their own right, for now the utopian vision seems to be winning.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrify

Verb

However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
To build a stealthy ocean-monitoring platform for the Office of Naval Research, Professor Shepherd needed a propulsion system that would not startle marine life.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of startle

Verb

Firms in Riyadh were telling their employees to work from home tomorrow, and people have been spooked for weeks.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2026
First revealed by the Financial Times, the discrepancy spooked investors, who flocked to sell AI stocks from Nvidia to Oracle to CoreWeave.

— Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of spook

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frighted

frighten

frightened

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“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of frighten

verb

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