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
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Recent Examples of frightened
Jennifer Stavros, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
Affected businesses can lose money or go bankrupt, because frightened customers choose to dine elsewhere.
—Mark Kortepeter, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Halloween attractions company America Haunts estimates that Americans spend upward of US$500 million annually on haunted house entrance fees simply for the privilege of being frightened.
—Sarah Kollat, Discover Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024
Be frightened and surprised at the Redford Theatre's Festival of Darkness, a 90-minute compilation of horror short films.
—Annalise Frank, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for frightened 
Adjective
James Giordano, a neurobiology researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center, says getting frightened triggers a specific response in the human body.
—Jennifer Stavros, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
Affected businesses can lose money or go bankrupt, because frightened customers choose to dine elsewhere.
—Mark Kortepeter, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Halloween attractions company America Haunts estimates that Americans spend upward of US$500 million annually on haunted house entrance fees simply for the privilege of being frightened.
—Sarah Kollat, Discover Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024
Be frightened and surprised at the Redford Theatre's Festival of Darkness, a 90-minute compilation of horror short films.
—Annalise Frank, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for frightened
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frightened
Adjective
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Hit lists with images of bullets are circulating online with warnings that industry leaders should be afraid.Devna Bose and John Seewer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
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Expect lowball offers to come in here and there—and don't be deterred by them or afraid to turn them down.Michael Gargiulo, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Although conditions in Malibu may not be among the worst firefighters have seen, the Franklin fire has torched several vehicles and left residents who had to flee terrified.Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
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As the fighting ramped up in September, with daily missile barrages on the entire north, people were terrified of driving, fearing they’d be caught on the roads without shelter.Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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That evening, in the no man’s land, a field strewn with empty water bottles, four Shia families sat on a picnic blanket around a burner attached to a gas tank, looking scared and drinking yerba mate.Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2024
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Once glued to their hiding spot, a scared cat may not come out when called by its owner.Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The looming economic and political crises has spooked markets, with French borrowing costs briefly rising above those of Greece on Monday.Alexander Smith, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024
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But the deer had spooked (likely from the sound of the ATV, Laleman thinks).Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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From his second-floor office in the Scurry County Courthouse, Hicks told the Abilene Reporter-News, part of the USA TODAY Network, workers in the building became alarmed during a5.0 quake Friday, which hit at 9:28 a.m. local time.Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 31 July 2024
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Treasury aides who had once labored in obscurity took recommendations directly to Cabinet officials, who were simultaneously hearing from alarmed Fortune 500 CEOs and the heads of Wall Street banks.Federica Cocco, Washington Post, 25 July 2024
Verb
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Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest.Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
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Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Nguyen said that in the wake of this nationwide trend, the Asian community is fearful but is coming together and taking extra precautions to be safe.Deena Zaru, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2024
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Insiders expect a short-term funding bill that kicks the spending battle to early next year, although Republican senators are fearful that chaos in the House could derail Trump’s agenda.Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near frightened
Cite this Entry
“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frightened. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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