as in afraid
filled with fear or dread
I am frightened of the dark
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frightened
Kendall Malinchock, USA Today, 9 May 2025
Lopez was seen in shocking footage, since shared publicly, of the man grabbing a frightened cat, later identified as Mittens, and hurling her across a front yard not once, but twice, before she was picked up again.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
At the same time, Trump and his team are dangling cash to get frightened migrants already in the U.S. to voluntarily depart.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 6 May 2025
These failures in public safety have led to stories from frightened educators, anxious students, and unsafe conditions for our city’s public school communities.
—Savanah Jackson, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Adjective
The first few attempts to free the dog failed, then the rescuers cleverly used a tarp to hoist the frightened animal to safety.
—Kendall Malinchock, USA Today, 9 May 2025
Lopez was seen in shocking footage, since shared publicly, of the man grabbing a frightened cat, later identified as Mittens, and hurling her across a front yard not once, but twice, before she was picked up again.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
At the same time, Trump and his team are dangling cash to get frightened migrants already in the U.S. to voluntarily depart.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 6 May 2025
These failures in public safety have led to stories from frightened educators, anxious students, and unsafe conditions for our city’s public school communities.
—Savanah Jackson, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightened
Adjective
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The youngest cast member at the time, Williams set the tone for the raw emotion the show was not afraid to show over the years.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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Moreover, Rocket has a relatively new CEO who wants to dominate the mortgage industry and is not afraid of technology, previously working at Intuit, PayPal, Groupon and Microsoft.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
Verb
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The movie sees the revival of arch-villain Feathers McGraw, who terrified kids in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Dec. 2024
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My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Plus, hearing from the new owners, those dogs have also been scared and skittish around humans.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
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While gold is a popular choice when investors are scared, other alternatives such as infrastructure and real estate offer similar protection.—
Eric Satz,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Thus, there’s little sense in getting spooked in the pre-Christmas months; when ad rates are negligible, the cost of doling out any necessary audience deficiency units isn’t exactly going to break the bank.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
27 Dec. 2024
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Some comments under the video show viewers spooked by the scene, weighing in on whether the leg movement was a result of some kind of paranormal intervention or not.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Trump administration’s unprecedented action against Harvard is not the only reason why international college students have become alarmed about their future in the United States.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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But even legal scholars with an expansive view of executive authority have grown alarmed.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Context The incident is the latest in series of high-profile crimes on New York subway trains that have shocked the city.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
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And the art world is no different — some artists are using it to help generate work, and others are shocked by its capabilities.—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In Bolland’s judgment, Duffy was fearful of unlocking the past and thus naming and confronting his acts.—
Sarah Beckwith,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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That ambiguity has left Venezuelan immigrants with TPS not only fearful but also confused.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightened. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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