: 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
His employees are too frightened to come to work.
—CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Because of a decision made decades before by frightened parents, these babies may grow up to suffer the misery of cancer — and, always, the risk of passing the curse of illness to future generations.
—Emilie G.c. Thompson, STAT, 15 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.
—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
See All Example Sentences for frightened
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CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Because of a decision made decades before by frightened parents, these babies may grow up to suffer the misery of cancer — and, always, the risk of passing the curse of illness to future generations.
—Emilie G.c. Thompson, STAT, 15 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.
—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
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightened. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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