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
Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Scared and frightened, the only way to relieve the pain is to sell.
—CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Instead, they had likely been snapped at, startled by a growl or frightened by flashing teeth.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Adjective
Chesney became frightened, scaled the enclosure wall and hopped over the fence.
—Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Scared and frightened, the only way to relieve the pain is to sell.
—CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
Grete is frightened of her brother, of course.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Instead, they had likely been snapped at, startled by a growl or frightened by flashing teeth.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightened
Adjective
-
Maybe a lot of producers are Melissas, afraid of the present, looking toward a past that never really existed.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Miami is exceptionally good at finding role players , so don’t be afraid to trade a Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr, etc.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Three Grammy wins, a Men’s Health cover and 275 pounds later, the blood draw that scared him most turned out to be the decision that saved his life.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The coyote grabbed the boy and took him to the ground before a nearby adult rushed over and scared the animal away.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The pressures of fame and the pains of Michael’s brand of friendlessness are barely explored, beyond the requisite scenes of screaming fans crowding outside the family estate and a terrified Michael attempting to get away from them (while still politely waving).—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Ashley takes some of the other women to her favorite beach, and Alicia, who is used to her country club, is terrified.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Horner dropped a package, McGuire said, and was startled by the team.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Littrell walked up to the man, who appeared to be startled by the singer's presence.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The others followed, and the titillated-horrified crowd quietly walked back into the night.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
As the scene was projected onto a screen, Jude seemed slightly horrified to see himself in front of the camera rather than behind it.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There are some who will speculate that he got spooked by the mention of his existence.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
He’s also spooked by the city’s looming budget deficit and the possibility of the state legislature slashing property taxes.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On the campaign trail, school board members and alarmed parents predicted marijuana would increasingly find its way into the hands of children and stoned drivers would cause more traffic collisions.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In the 1850s, company managers were alarmed to find out shipping workers were opening crates and marking P&G containers with stars to help coworkers who couldn’t read.—
Alexander Coolidge,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Neighbors were shocked after the shooting, saying the area is normally a safe place for young people.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Even some prominent conservatives were shocked by Gorka’s return.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightened. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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