: feeling fear : made to feel afraid
a badly frightened child
The farmer was hurrying out into the road, and his wife was standing at the gate, looking very frightened.—
Anna Sewell
Anna SewellSynonyms
Examples of frightened in a Sentence
I am frightened of the dark
Recent Examples on the Web
Abandoning all sense of order or control, a few of the sailors careened through the brig, demanding liquor from the frightened passengers.
—Eric Jay Dolin, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2024
In addition, American Jews have experienced an alarming increase in hate speech that have left them feeling genuinely frightened and unsure of their place in America.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 5 May 2024
May 3, 2024 Tackling the Major Issues of the Day, Part 827
One area in which Bayern Munich cannot be accused of being frightened of change is in its jersey.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 May 2024
The other particularly overused tool in Cohen and Halberg’s arsenal is the extremely loud and sudden noise — about half of the most intense moments in the film pay off because the audience is startled, not frightened.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 May 2024
Despite being frightened, Potter says there is a silver lining from the whole ordeal.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
Still, that kind of frightened defensiveness is, for good or ill, part of our time, and perhaps just as unavoidable.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
The video on Instagram shows the visibly frightened cub looking up at the rescuer and the rope and curling into a tighter ball in the corner.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 23 Apr. 2024
Krause, a deputy fire marshal for the state of Oregon, crouched down to get a closer look and saw a frightened puppy hiding.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Eric Jay Dolin, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2024
In addition, American Jews have experienced an alarming increase in hate speech that have left them feeling genuinely frightened and unsure of their place in America.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 5 May 2024
May 3, 2024 Tackling the Major Issues of the Day, Part 827
One area in which Bayern Munich cannot be accused of being frightened of change is in its jersey.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 May 2024
The other particularly overused tool in Cohen and Halberg’s arsenal is the extremely loud and sudden noise — about half of the most intense moments in the film pay off because the audience is startled, not frightened.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 May 2024
Despite being frightened, Potter says there is a silver lining from the whole ordeal.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
Still, that kind of frightened defensiveness is, for good or ill, part of our time, and perhaps just as unavoidable.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024
The video on Instagram shows the visibly frightened cub looking up at the rescuer and the rope and curling into a tighter ball in the corner.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 23 Apr. 2024
Krause, a deputy fire marshal for the state of Oregon, crouched down to get a closer look and saw a frightened puppy hiding.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frightened.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near frightened
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightened. Accessed 11 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share