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
Verb
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What frightens scientists more than the sheer numbers are that the cuts are arbitrary and manifestly pernicious.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026 -
Dolma told me that when the wind turbines were being built, their noise frightened her livestock and carried across the valley, disturbing neighbors during windy times.—
Sanggay Tashi,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Late one night, with the neighbors’ dogs loose once again, Courtney Guarnieri fired shots into the darkness to scare them away.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
12 June 2026
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The scientists only got a passing glimpse of the goblin shark before the lights and loud noise from the ROV's motor scared it away, Auscavitch told ABC News.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The comedian was terrified after being fired from NewsRadio.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
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And there are a lot of things to be very rightly and understandably terrified of right now, and uncertainty about what's to come.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
Verb
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The combination of flashing light and movement startles them.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
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Her voice startled me, both rough and smooth—like a bottle of whiskey set in front of a princess.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Affright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affright. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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