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
ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Easton Dameron was one of the many drivers who were frightened to suddenly find themselves in the middle of a very dangerous situation.
—Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
Grete is frightened of her brother, of course.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Adjective
Videos shared on social media showed multiple fights breaking out in front of an outdoor bar area, followed by a frightened crowd of dozens running away.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Easton Dameron was one of the many drivers who were frightened to suddenly find themselves in the middle of a very dangerous situation.
—Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
Facing cameras and a swath of media in her tiny hometown, Long Rife was not frightened by the prospect of moving cross-country.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
Grete is frightened of her brother, of course.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightened
Adjective
-
Umpires, afraid of being overturned, or at least, more aware of the new zone and its limitations, have been calling fewer strikes.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Almost half are personally afraid of losing their job to AI, ranking it among the most acute individual stressors measured in the survey.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the goring, the animal retreated back into the reserve when scared off by other patrol members.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
-
After the goring, the rhino retreated back into the reserve when other patrol members scared it off.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The key cabin crew are flight attendants Penny (Lucy Barrett) and Zoe (Na Shi), both of whom demonstrate bravery, to different ends, and show caring attention to the terrified children.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Though Ridley Scott works in a drastically different tone than the one John Carpenter brought to Dark Star, the two films share screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s darkly comedic view of a future that has reduced humans to alternately bored and terrified cogs in larger machines.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 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
-
Let’s not confuse slightly horrified admiration for Irina’s determination with admiration for her as a person.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 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
-
Despite the results, the stock dropped after the report as investors became spooked by signs of a softening property insurance market.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
-
The judge got a little spooked and kicked it down to a lower court.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ramzan typed into his phone, trying not to feel alarmed by Adnan’s silence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
-
The lawsuit was updated as Kennedy took more steps that alarmed medical societies, causing the plaintiffs to ask Murphy to take steps to address those policy changes too.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The couple was shocked to find that their left-leaning friends were coming to the same conclusion.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
In 2016, after winning the Formula 1 Driver’s Championship, Nico Rosberg shocked the racing world by abruptly retiring at 31.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightened. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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