Synonyms of frightens

frightens

verb

present tense third-person singular of frighten

as in terrifies

to strike with fear

around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrifies
• scares
• startles
• spooks
• shocks
• horrifies
• shakes
• terrorizes
• amazes
• panics
• alarms
• frights
• distracts
• affrights
• appalls
• scarifies
• worries
• gives one the creeps
• disturbs
• dismays
• astounds
• jolts
• unsettles
• makes one's flesh creep
• upsets
• awes
• unnerves
• daunts
• shakes up
• disconcerts
• emasculates
• bowls over
• disquiets
• perturbs
• distresses
• demoralizes
• undoes
• floors
• unmans
• dispirits
• chills
• psychs (out)
• discomforts
• unstrings
• discomposes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassures
• assures
• soothes
• cheers
• comforts
• encourages
• inspires
• consoles
• emboldens
• heartens
• solaces
• steels

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of frightens

The prospect of Sean Steur or Lewis Hall — whose contract situation Wilson refused to be drawn on, despite being asked three times — leaving is not something which frightens the hierarchy. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Penelope, too, is asked to occupy a landscape that frightens her, not only as a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical culture, but as a child now situated in an adult world. — Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026

And for members who have a long history, who are used to running on that long history, that frightens them. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

The thing that frightens me isn’t that machines will replace people. — Maria Colacurcio, Fortune, 28 June 2026

What frightens scientists more than the sheer numbers are that the cuts are arbitrary and manifestly pernicious. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

But the future Hall of Famer is coming off ACL surgery, might lack mobility, and has a receiving corps that frightens nobody. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 15 May 2026

Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little. — Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026

Her hysteria frightens me and demands to be taken care of. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026