as in afraid
filled with fear or dread
I am frightened of the dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frightened
Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 26 Feb. 2026
Tharia’s Jane, meanwhile, is both vulnerable and volatile, sometimes letting slip a mass of frightened, warring impulses behind her still, steady gaze.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 16 Jan. 2026
While some passengers were said to have been frightened and crying, witnesses to the crash didn’t immediately believe there were any serious injuries.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Adjective
Slowly round your back toward the ceiling, tucking your chin slightly and drawing your belly button in (like a frightened cat).
—Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 26 Feb. 2026
Tharia’s Jane, meanwhile, is both vulnerable and volatile, sometimes letting slip a mass of frightened, warring impulses behind her still, steady gaze.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
Mariana, for example, wrote about children being frightened by school shootings.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 16 Jan. 2026
While some passengers were said to have been frightened and crying, witnesses to the crash didn’t immediately believe there were any serious injuries.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightened
Adjective
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All your really doing is physically hurting your child–which might lead them to feel angry, afraid, or betrayed.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
3 Mar. 2026
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Over its eight-year run, ABC’s The Rookie has never been afraid to color outside the lines of the network TV cop show format.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The small surface area here was full of challenges, none of which scared Hélène Lacombe for a second.—
Nicolas Milon,
Architectural Digest,
24 Feb. 2026
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Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said during a press conference shortly after the incident that responding agencies apparently scared off the suspect before the accelerant was ignited.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Some expats echo the confidence; others are terrified, sleeping in cars in garages, and scanning for the nearest exits.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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Mrie’s angry and terrified family shunned her.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors allege Joshua Alvarado, 30, passed out at the wheel of his pickup truck while driving to work and was startled awake by other drivers honking at him.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
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In the early hours of Sunday morning, as a bar in a busy nightlife district of Austin, Texas, prepared to close for the night, patrons and staff were startled by the sound of gunshots.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And the posts do tend to trigger horrified reactions from other TikTok users.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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The partygoers don’t really know how to react until Stab interrupts the performance to choke Kid out, and then everyone becomes horrified.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Beyond the physical damage, Epic Fury has spooked the global economy.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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Still, the choice to zone high-quality farmland for development has spooked some farmers in rural Adamstown.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The law enforcement steps have alarmed election officials and Democrats who fear that the administration is building an argument for interfering in this year’s midterm elections.—
Isaac Arnsdorf,
Washington Post,
9 Mar. 2026
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Donnie is alarmed to find her in a room that, according to the board, is unoccupied.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Those are just some examples of how Chinese startups and tech giants are rapidly expanding worldwide, one year after DeepSeek’s AI reasoning model shocked global investors.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
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Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, leader of the education advocacy group Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she was shocked by the news that Molinar would be replaced.—
Silas Allen,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightened. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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