: 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
After the arrests, children in her van became frightened and initially refused to get out.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 11 June 2026
Mahayahay Elementary School, located in the province of Davao Occidental, shared footage on social media showing frightened students squatting on the ground and then scurrying away when a canopy roof collapsed during the quake.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Flavia Pupo, a manager at a hotel in Pinar del Río, told AP that the shaking rattled the building and frightened people in the area.
—CBS News, 8 June 2026
The entries never become frightened.
—Kate Casey, Vanity Fair, 2 June 2026
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.
Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 11 June 2026
Mahayahay Elementary School, located in the province of Davao Occidental, shared footage on social media showing frightened students squatting on the ground and then scurrying away when a canopy roof collapsed during the quake.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Flavia Pupo, a manager at a hotel in Pinar del Río, told AP that the shaking rattled the building and frightened people in the area.
—CBS News, 8 June 2026
The entries never become frightened.
—Kate Casey, Vanity Fair, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightened. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
