as in terrifies
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Recent Examples of frightens
Baker says what frightens her most is whether younger generations will ever be able to step off that wheel — to build generational wealth through homeownership.
—
Elizabeth Prann, The Hill, 10 Nov. 2025
Within my book, one of the things that frightens me most is the fact that with censorship, there’s often not a clear red line, right?
—Fiction Non Fiction
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
What specifically frightens you?
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
Many of us are conditioned to think that our ultimate goal in life is to be with someone, so much so, that the mere thought of being alone frightens us.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Elizabeth Prann, The Hill, 10 Nov. 2025
Within my book, one of the things that frightens me most is the fact that with censorship, there’s often not a clear red line, right?
—Fiction Non Fiction
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
What specifically frightens you?
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
Many of us are conditioned to think that our ultimate goal in life is to be with someone, so much so, that the mere thought of being alone frightens us.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightens
Verb
-
And this absolutely terrifies me.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Rows sit silent at Karmel Mall as the immigration crackdown terrifies customers and workers, paralyzing the economic hub for Minneapolis’s largest Somali population.—
Sarah Raza,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But for real chills and scares, the granddaddy The Blair Witch Project still is the crown jewel.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Is there somewhere that scares you?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the dolphin gets closer to the glass, the Chihuahua lets out a bark that startles the dolphin, who then starts mimicking the dog's mouth movements in a sort of chasing game across species.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frightens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightens. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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