frightened

adjective

fright·​ened ˈfrī-tᵊnd 

: feeling fear : made to feel afraid

a badly frightened child

The farmer was hurrying out into the road, and his wife was standing at the gate, looking very frightened.

—Anna Sewell

Synonyms of frightened

• afraid
• terrified
• scared
• horrified
• alarmed
• shocked
• fearful

Examples of frightened in a Sentence

I am frightened of the dark

Recent Examples on the Web

While one held the frightened animal’s head, the other — wearing a sweatshirt with an image of the Virgin Mary — applied the iron to a horn. —Susanne Rust follow, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026

The woman who found Nado said the feline appeared frightened but was in overall good health, according to the news outlet. —Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026

Those children hadn’t seemed frightened to me, not visibly anyway. —Literary Hub, 1 May 2026

How Animal Lovers Can Help For readers who have ever bottle-fed a baby animal, comforted a frightened pet or simply paused to watch a deer step out of the woods at dusk, Forest’s story is a familiar kind of heartbreak — and a familiar kind of hope. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of frighten

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing frightened

• scared/frightened the dickens

Rhymes for frightened

• enlightened
• brightened
• heightened
• lightened
• tightened
• unenlightened