frighten

verb

fright·​en ˈfrī-tᵊn 

frightened; frightening ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈfrīt-niŋ

transitive verb

1

: to make afraid : terrify

The movie scene frightened the child.

2

: to drive or force by frightening

frightened the boy into confessing

intransitive verb

: to become frightened

She doesn't frighten easily.

frighteningly

ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ-lē 

ˈfrīt-niŋ-lē

adverb

Synonyms

• affright
• alarm
• alarum
• fright
• horrify
• panic
• scare
• scarify
• shock
• spook
• startle
• terrify
• terrorize

Examples of frighten in a Sentence

The story really frightened me.

The child was badly frightened by the mask.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some sea creatures manifest that may frighten the littles. —Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 26 Nov. 2024

Carmen walks away, frightened, but Lenù gets even closer to the scene of the crime, asking witnesses what happened. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024

Bob Wieting Simi Valley :: In order to frighten their parents, for Halloween kids in New York wore Freddie Freeman costumes. —Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024

Even Hulu’s Rivals could frighten you with the depths of its amorous characters’ depravity. —Judy Berman, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

fright entry 1 + -en entry 2

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing frighten

• frighten away/off
• frighten into
• frighten out of
• frighten/scare the life out of
• frighten the life out of
• frighten to death

Kids Definition

frighten

verb

fright·​en ˈfrīt-ᵊn 

frightened; frightening ˈfrīt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: to make afraid : terrify

2

: to drive away or out by frightening

3

: to become frightened

frighteningly

-niŋ-lē 

-ᵊn-iŋ-

adverb