frighten
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to make afraid or fearful; throw into a fright; terrify; scare.
- Synonyms:
- intimidate , dismay , startle , shock
-
to drive (usually followed by away, off, etc.) by scaring.
to frighten away pigeons from the roof.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to cause fear in; terrify; scare
-
to drive or force to go (away, off, out, in, etc) by making afraid
Related Words
Frighten, alarm, scare, terrify, terrorize, appall all mean to arouse fear in people or animals. To frighten is to shock with sudden, startling, but usually short-lived fear, especially that arising from the apprehension of physical harm: to frighten someone by a sudden noise. To alarm is to arouse the feelings through the realization of some imminent or unexpected danger: to alarm someone by a scream. To scare is to frighten, often without the presence of real danger: Horror movies really scare me. To terrify is to strike with violent, overwhelming, or paralyzing fear: to terrify a city by lawless acts. To terrorize is to terrify in a general, continued, systematic manner, either wantonly or in order to gain control: His marauding armies terrorized the countryside. To appall is to overcome or confound by dread, dismay, shock, or horror: The suffering caused by the earthquake appalled him.
Other Word Forms
- frightenable adjective
- frightened adjective
- frightener noun
- frightening adjective
- frighteningly adverb
- nonfrightening adjective
- nonfrighteningly adverb
- overfrighten verb
- unfrightening adjective
Etymology
Origin of frighten
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The hearing was told the women were left "shocked", "numb", and "frightened" by Richard's actions.
From BBC
"Our children have experienced frightening, scary, overwhelming, terrifying things. They should be afforded treatment for that," says Fiona Wells from Patch.
From BBC
“I don’t know who authorized the chief of the French defense staff to make such statements, which are frightening and cause anxiety,” National Rally Vice President Sébastien Chenu told French TV.
But the mass arrests and fears of deportation turned the Fashion District into a ghost town for several weeks after, with storefronts shuttered and frightened workers staying home.
From Los Angeles Times
The audience anticipates the frightening future that awaits these journalists, which makes their relentless advocacy all the more moving.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
