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fright

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fright distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fright are alarm, dread, fear, panic, terror, and trepidation. While all these words mean "painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger," fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.

fright at being awakened suddenly

When is it sensible to use alarm instead of fright?

In some situations, the words alarm and fright are roughly equivalent. However, alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.

view the situation with alarm

In what contexts can dread take the place of fright?

The words dread and fright can be used in similar contexts, but dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

faced the meeting with dread

When can fear be used instead of fright?

The synonyms fear and fright are sometimes interchangeable, but fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.

fear of the unknown

When could panic be used to replace fright?

The meanings of panic and fright largely overlap; however, panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.

the news caused widespread panic

When is terror a more appropriate choice than fright?

Although the words terror and fright have much in common, terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.

immobilized with terror

How are the words trepidation and dread related as synonyms of fright?

Trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.

raised the subject with trepidation

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fright
Noun
Here, original characters like a menacing set of twins and a bug monster are available to chat with guests or give them a fright. Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025 Well, consider that, unlike what’s happening in the world at large, the frights and delights inside Viola’s Room are actually fun. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Verb
The perpetrators would acquire the vehicles via hire-purchase agreements, air fright them to Singapore with false papers and then ship them to Thailand. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 1 Nov. 2024 For anyone into sheer terror with a side of entertainment, streaming services like Shudder can fright and delight. Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for fright
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fright
Noun
  • If the mess-maker is solid, use a spatula, dull kitchen knife, or the edge of a credit card to lift it from the surface of the upholstery.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The first crazy thing that happens to the movie Smurls is when a kitchen chandelier almost falls on them, though the most visceral is when oldest sister Dawn Smurl (Beau Gadsdon) suddenly vomits up pieces of glass, leaving the sink and her face a bloody mess.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But all friends need to be honest with each other, to tell each other home truths when it’s needed, to confront those awkward moments without fear of the reaction.
    Steve Sedgwick, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Two key points in the case were that board members who personally opposed the books took the action against the input of an advisory committee, and that the board members' action was based on speculative, not actual, fears of disruption.
    Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Judy Hernandez’ husband Raul, a co-founder of the community group the Resurrection Project, dismissed those plans as a political stunt geared to create fear and frighten Spanish-speaking people.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Many of us are conditioned to think that our ultimate goal in life is to be with someone, so much so, that the mere thought of being alone frightens us.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Moore previously served as the defense attorney for Louise and David Turpin, the California couple who abused and imprisoned their 13 children and dependent adults in a 'house of horrors' for years.
    Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The Hateful Eight and also headlined the horror-Western Bone Tomahawk, which featured Fox in a supporting role.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • At the council meeting for the resolution, several migrants and their families spoke in favor of its passage, expressing their anxieties in day-to-day life, according to The Chronicle.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The starting point is learning to cultivate present-moment awareness and simply noticing your anxiety.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Yet, at the same time, automation scares people.
    Arthur Azizov, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Parents, scared by the specter of brain damage, are reluctant to let their kids play tackle football.
    Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • All of this terrified his father, Charlie, a former cop who had a premonition that something would go wrong.
    Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Lewis, the five-star recruit and the people’s choice, looked good handing off and terrified on obvious passing downs.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In 2022, then UK Prime Minister Liz Truss unleashed a wave of market panic with unfunded tax cuts that forced the Bank of England into emergency action after 30-year gilt yields soared by over 100 basis points.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Rebecca Ferguson stars as Captain Olivia Walker, a senior White House official tasked with keeping the government functioning as panic sets in, while Idris Elba plays a top national security adviser who must balance strategy with morality.
    Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fright. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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