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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightens
Verb
-
What terrifies Iran’s theocrats the most, the fear that eclipses all their fears, is the ability of the people at large to clearly see the essential realities of the present regime.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
And this absolutely terrifies me.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The boiling bin freezing especially scares me.—
Emily Elias,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Feb. 2026
-
So, anything that seems random or unexpected scares them.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The project, which Steinberger has rebranded multiple times—evolving from Clawdbot to Moltbot and finally to OpenClaw—largely owing to politics—has expanded at a pace that startles even seasoned AI experts.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
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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 22 Feb. 2026.
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