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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
  • Come back to the conversation Whereas adults may be able to more quickly move on with their daily lives after feeling disturbed or frightened by upsetting media, children may experience more elevated and prolonged stress.
    — Anahi Collado, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Last Friday, the artist Pink published a lengthy criticism of Macklemore’s on-stage polemic, writing that his comments and use of violent wartime imagery had frightened many Jewish people, including her.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of frighten
Verb
  • These tours take place during the day, with the lights on and, rather than scare actors, you’ll be joined by a friendly tour guide to walk you through the details of each house.
    — Tarah Chieffi, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Elmore says the bear eventually climbed down the side of the truck, and employees scared it away from the area.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of scare
Verb
  • One night, Bridget decides to leave after thoroughly terrifying her husband with an ax.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Elizabeth Pizzo was terrified earlier this year about what would happen to her son.
    — Jim DeFede, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrify
Verb
  • 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
  • Their approach startled the predator, who took off with the mother godwit in its claws.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 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 28 Sep. 2026.

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