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
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Recent Examples of frighten
Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 17 May 2025
Nevertheless, those who saw this intentionally schlocky sci-fi horror comedy at the right age report being legitimately frightened by the alien invaders.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 9 May 2025
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 June 2025
The film’s most frightening scene is a fight between Claire and her mom, when the manipulative young woman tries every tactic imaginable to extort money from Kate, from tearing out her hair to kidnapping Cooper.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Verb
The killings stunned and frightened the college town of 26,000, where a murder had not been recorded in five years.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 17 May 2025
Nevertheless, those who saw this intentionally schlocky sci-fi horror comedy at the right age report being legitimately frightened by the alien invaders.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 9 May 2025
Adjective
His eagerness to dive into worlds of monsters and myth with an eye for gory reality has made his work thus far much more pleasurable than actually frightening (though there are plenty of scares as well).
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 June 2025
The film’s most frightening scene is a fight between Claire and her mom, when the manipulative young woman tries every tactic imaginable to extort money from Kate, from tearing out her hair to kidnapping Cooper.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Adjective
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John Hoffman via Facebook In a statement released on Thursday night, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack, saying they were woken up by someone impersonating an officer who was banging on their door at 2 a.m.—
Stephen Swanson,
CBS News,
20 June 2025
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Whether the result of drugs, alcohol or general hysteria, these terrifying men would enter trance-like states and charge into battle, ignoring severe injuries and collapsing into a feeble heap immediately after the fight concluded.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Is 'Jaws' the scariest film of all time? Watch it once or hundreds of times and the scare seems fresh every time, says Dawn Keetley, editor of the journal Horror Studies and professor of English and film at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
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The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Soon after, he was joined by his brother, Tonga Loa, creating a formidable new tag team within the group.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
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Krishnamurthi is also a star cricket player for the U.S. senior national team, a contributor to their recent run of strong form that included a win over a formidable Pakistan team in the T20 World Cup last year.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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And in addition to the swing itself, his overall approach at the plate has always been horrible.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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With guidance from Benny’s older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, Benny and Carmen juggle horrible hookups, flavored vodka, and fake IDs.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
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Outside of getting to play a grand slam event in his backyard, Thomas has been downright terrible in the sport's four biggest tournaments.—
Gerrit Ritt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Unlike other squirrel-proof bird feeders, this one is ideal for small birds and won’t attract bigger, more intimidating birds like ravens, eagles, grackles, or black birds.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 June 2025
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Its profoundly intimidating core cast come together as the white-hot heart of an espionage love story.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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