affright

verb

ə-ˈfrīt How to pronounce affright (audio)
Definition of affrightnext
as in to frighten
to strike with fear a ghastly sight that would affright any person

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for affright
  1. frighten
  2. scare
  3. terrify
  4. startle
Verb
  • Families confronting a devastating diagnosis may already be frightened, grieving and overwhelmed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • But Cardinale acknowledged layoffs would be part of the cost-cuts, a prospect that frightened many in Hollywood after endless waves of job cuts at the two companies.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of frighten
Verb
  • Kennedy, who was an anti-vaccine activist before entering politics and has sent mixed messages to Americans about getting the measles vaccine, scares her.
    — Ali Swenson, STAT, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Labaugh says her husband tried to scare the bear away by pounding on the door connected to the garage from inside the house.
    — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of scare
Verb
  • For years, Democratic candidates were terrified of being accused of wanting to raise taxes.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Marris was terrified for her daughter and furious with herself.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrify
Verb
  • To build a stealthy ocean-monitoring platform for the Office of Naval Research, Professor Shepherd needed a propulsion system that would not startle marine life.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • As if triggered by this thought, the door buzzed itself open, startling the pigeons from wire to wing, a grand scattering.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of startle
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.

Browse Nearby Words

affrays
affright
affrighted
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Cite this Entry

“Affright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affright. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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