frightened 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfrī-tᵊnd How to pronounce frightened (audio)
Definition of frightenednext
as in afraid
filled with fear or dread I am frightened of the dark

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

frightened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of frighten
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

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 frightened
Adjective
In one video, a young orangutan can be seen crouching in the corner of a small, dark crate, its frightened eyes wide open. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 Today’s Central Park, with its traffic, crowds and noise, is no place to ask a frightened animal to haul a thousand-pound carriage. — Al Sharpton, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
At the very start of the pandemic, while most Americans were hunkered down, frightened for their lives and worried about job loss, RealPage hosted a virtual pep talk for landlords. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 Viewers will come away convinced the world’s richest man mostly excels at self-promotion; they’ll also be frightened by the power he’s accrued. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightened
  1. afraid
  2. scared
  3. terrified
  4. startled
  5. horrified
  6. spooked
  7. alarmed
  8. shocked
Adjective
  • Haitians in South Florida who lost Temporary Protected Status have lost their jobs and are afraid to step outside.
    — Isvett Verde, Time, 10 Nov. 2026
  • And the chain’s workers weren’t afraid to call her out on mistakes.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of afraid
Verb
  • Aramayo is candid about the fear, as well as the script that scared him.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
  • That’s a $69,000 per-screen average — a far cry from La La Land ($176K) or even Anora ($91K), but in line with the likes of Poor Things and I, Tonya, showing that the streamers’ imprimatur hasn’t scared off theatrical audiences.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Follicularly stuck in the 2000s, the vast majority of us are terrified short hair will age us.
    — Molly Mulshine, InStyle, 30 Oct. 2026
  • His novels are absolute master classes in how much to reveal, how much to leave to the reader’s terrified imagination.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrified
Verb
  • Surveillance footage & evidence Police reviewed surveillance footage in the area, which showed the two gunshot victims walking, then appear startled, according to court records.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of startled
Adjective
  • Photos from the scene show several UTSA members surrounding the airman on the field after the fatal fall, as medics tended to him in front of horrified spectators.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Gomez, 67, recalled, watching as responding officers pulled a horrified boy from the car.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrified
Verb
  • The prospect that Nasser could aid the North Yemeni imamate in asserting its claim to South Yemen spooked several of the statelets in the Aden Protectorate, and in 1959 six of them agreed to federate.
    — Manfred W. Wenner All, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The market reaction Monday suggests investors aren't spooked by this news.
    — Jeff Marks,Matthew J. Belvedere,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of spooked
Adjective
  • Since Melanie Federline’s arrest, details in the arrest warrant about loose pills and the use of allergy medicine in the home as a sleep aid have alarmed physicians and child welfare experts.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
  • In New York and then Kansas City, Morgenthau grew alarmed as the United States watched Nazi Germany rearm, annex Austria, and invade Czechoslovakia.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Verb
  • The case shocked her community and the fight to convict her killer proved difficult.
    — Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Theiss’ wife filed a police complaint alleging that the men were shocked while trying to get out of the pool and drowned, NDTV reported.
    — Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of shocked

Browse Nearby Words

frighten
frightened
frightening
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Cite this Entry

“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightened. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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