: 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
Anna SewellExamples of frightened in a Sentence
I am frightened of the dark
Recent Examples on the Web
Hundreds of frightened residents gathered in a grassy field near the fire station and refused to return home hours after the quake struck Bogo in Cebu province.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
So stay calm, control your breathing, don’t be frightened.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
The frightened campers are supposed to deliver the scares — but that only works as a set-up if the villain is lurking behind the next tree.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Republicans are frightened, too.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightened
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.
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
So stay calm, control your breathing, don’t be frightened.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
The frightened campers are supposed to deliver the scares — but that only works as a set-up if the villain is lurking behind the next tree.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Republicans are frightened, too.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightened. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share