as in to scare
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in terrifying
causing fear
a truly frightening movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scaring
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of frighten
Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Don’t be frightened, though, fans; The Parent Trap gal is still in the competition!
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
The mountain bikers shared their story — along with footage of the frightening, face-to-face encounter — anonymously with ABC7 Eyewitness News.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Verb
Some impersonated tax officers to frighten British pensioners into draining their life savings into suspicious bank accounts; others peddled irresistible student loan offers to American high schoolers.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Don’t be frightened, though, fans; The Parent Trap gal is still in the competition!
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Shot entirely on dash cam in Brady’s home city of Derby, ANON spotlights a brief encounter between a closeted taxi driver (O’Neill) and a young male passenger, which leads to a frightening exchange with life-altering consequences.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
The mountain bikers shared their story — along with footage of the frightening, face-to-face encounter — anonymously with ABC7 Eyewitness News.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
Kids will love sending this Dilophosaurus sauntering across the floor, frightening everything and everyone in his path.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Adjective
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Episode 3 confirms that this is no mere nod to another Stephen King classic, when the young Black soldier showcases his unique powers in a thrilling and terrifying sequence.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
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That is, until Episode 3, when the terrifying harlequin seems to finally appear from the pitch black depths of a crypt inside the Derry cemetery.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Fascinating albeit kinda scary to watch though.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kim also recalled her mother allegedly threatening her father’s life, and on one scary occasion, Betty drove her car into the new home Dan shared with their children.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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As the day wears on, the crowd swells to a formidable throng.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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If host Point Loma was going to stay unbeaten and advance to the Division 1 quarterfinal with a win over Mater Dei Catholic on Friday night, Pointers head coach Ryan Price was sure his formidable defense would have a major hand in it.—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The New York native collected Golden Globe and Spirit awards for her performance as the title character, an aging Czechoslovakian actress forced to take a stand-in job in a horrible off-Broadway play, in Anna.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
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Gano opening up about this comes on a horrible day for the football world after Dallas Cowboys second-year linebacker Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide at the age of 24.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
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History is full of cases where great bands make terrible records, yet history stands speechless at what the Clash accomplished here.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Kingpin is one of its offerings this year, an intimidating V-8 monster that makes over 800 horsepower and is blacked out.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
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The podcast is meant to do some of the bedtime planning for parents, taking an intimidating task off their plate.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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