frightened

adjective

fright·​ened ˈfrī-tᵊnd How to pronounce frightened (audio)
Synonyms of frightenednext
: 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

Examples of frightened in a Sentence

I am frightened of the dark
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The article quotes two current professors but doesn’t explore why other faculty members critical of the school were too frightened to speak on the record in what Corcoran described as a campus finally open to different opinions. Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026 Freedom from fear mattered because frightened societies are easily manipulated. Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026 The article quotes two current professors but doesn’t explore why other faculty members critical of the school were too frightened to speak on the record in what Corcoran described as a campus finally open to different opinions. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026 Even as a frightened, 14-year-old child bride shipped off from Austria to marry a stranger, Marie Antoinette always had that je ne sais quoi. Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 29 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for frightened

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of frighten

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of frightened was in 1591

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightened. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.

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