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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frightened
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Even as a frightened, 14-year-old child bride shipped off from Austria to marry a stranger, Marie Antoinette always had that je ne sais quoi.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 29 Dec. 2025
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Homelessness While Americans are frightened by many things and events, most are not fearful of tent camps or homeless people.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Adjective
The article quotes two current professors but doesn’t explore why other faculty members critical of the school were too frightened to speak on the record in what Corcoran described as a campus finally open to different opinions.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Even as a frightened, 14-year-old child bride shipped off from Austria to marry a stranger, Marie Antoinette always had that je ne sais quoi.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 29 Dec. 2025
Verb
Don’t be frightened, though, fans; The Parent Trap gal is still in the competition!
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Homelessness While Americans are frightened by many things and events, most are not fearful of tent camps or homeless people.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightened
Adjective
-
Hundreds of volunteers have packed and delivered grocery boxes to families too afraid to leave their homes.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
People are so afraid to go out and participate in public life regardless of their citizenship status.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Last summer, Noemi Rios of Dallas started the grassroots organization Vecinos Unidos to advise immigrants of their rights and to identify people who may be confused by or scared of the system.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Jan. 2026
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What really scared me was telling my audience.—
SELF Staff,
SELF,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Barry’s little sister, who answered the call, was terrified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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But there’s plenty of agonized screaming, as well as lots of closeups of terrified faces.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The exchange startled Loftus, who this month shared the correspondence with the Orlando Sentinel.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
-
YouTube’s growth as a competitor to traditional television has startled the industry in recent years.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But some Germans are not thrilled by this American adoption of lüften, posting their own horrified reaction videos to TikTok.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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In witness footage shared by the police, the paraglider is seen falling from the sky with a faulty parachute and spiraling quickly towards the waters below, before smashing into the ocean in front of horrified beachgoers.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps Murdoch, who, at ninety-two, fit squarely in the CBS show’s viewer demographic, had seen it and got spooked.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
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Having spooked the markets once again, President Plump seems to be backing away from taking Greenland by force.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Regina seemed alarmed by the suggestion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Santa Venetia neighbors may not be too alarmed at this point, but the county says the levees are a problem now.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The news shocked those who played both for and against Belichick.—
Amos Morale III,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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On March 12, Ujlaky’s friends, family and the community were shocked when police arrested Bryce Dickey, also of Spring Creek, and charged him with the crime.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightened. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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