fright

1 of 2

noun

ˈfrīt 

1

: fear excited by sudden danger : alarm

gave me quite a fright

2

old-fashioned : something strange, ugly, or shocking

Do something with your hair. It looks a fright.

fright

2 of 2

verb

frighted; frighting; frights

transitive verb

: to alarm suddenly : frighten

Synonyms of fright

Noun

• mess
• horror

Verb

• scare
• frighten
• terrify
• startle

Choose the Right Synonym for fright

fear, dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, trepidation mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger.

fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.

fear of the unknown

dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

faced the meeting with dread

fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.

fright at being awakened suddenly

alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.

view the situation with alarm

panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.

the news caused widespread panic

terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.

immobilized with terror

trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.

raised the subject with trepidation

Examples of fright in a Sentence

Noun

Her eyes were wide with fright.

people in our neighborhood think that that orange and green office building is a hideous fright

Verb

a ghastly sight that would fright even the most stouthearted soul

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Audiences just can’t get enough of films that offer frights and scares, or even family-friendly flicks that pay homage to spooky season. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

Horror anthologies are a tradition in British cinema, and this collection of bite-sized frights is the granddaddy of them all. —Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025

Verb

For anyone into sheer terror with a side of entertainment, streaming services like Shudder can fright and delight. —Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English fyrhtu, fyrtho, fryhto (Northumbrian) "fear, dread, source of dread," going back to Germanic *furhtīn- (whence also Gothic faurhtei), noun derivative of *furhta- "frightened, fearful" (whence Old English forht "frightened," Old Saxon foraht, foroht, Old High German forht, foraht, Gothic faurhts), probably going back to Indo-European *pr̥k-to-, adjective from a verbal base *pr̥k-, whence also Tocharian A & B pärsk- "be afraid" (going back to *pr̥k-sk-)

Note: Germanic nouns derived directly from the adjective include Old Frisian fruchte "fear," Old Saxon forhta, Old High German forahta. Indo-European *p(e)rk- is taken by some to be a "root extension" of a hypothetical base *per- "test, risk," which would connect it to fear entry 1; see note at peril entry 1.

Verb

Middle English frighten, going back to Old English fyrhtan, going back to Germanic *furhtjan- (whence also Old Saxon forhtian "to fear, shy away from," Old High German forahten, furhten, Gothic faurhtjan), verbal derivative of *furhta- "frightened, fearful" — more at fright entry 1

Note: The causative meaning of the Old English verb is not reflected in the other Germanic forms; Old English also has a weak verb of a different class, forhtian "to fear, be afraid."

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fright

• fright wig
• look a fright
• stage fright
• take fright

Rhymes for fright

• bight
• bite
• blight
• byte
• cite
• dight
• fight
• fite
• flight
• height
• hight
• kite

Kids Definition

fright

noun

ˈfrīt

1

: fear caused by sudden danger : sudden terror

cry out in fright

2

: something that is strange, ugly, or shocking

your hair looks a fright