frightened

[frahyt-nd]

adjective

1. thrown into a fright; afraid; scared; terrified.

   a frightened child cowering in the corner.

2. afraid; fearful (usually followed byof ).

   He has always been frightened of heights.

Other Word Forms

• frightenedly adverb
• unfrightened adjective
• well-frightened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of frightened¹

First recorded in 1715–25; frighten + -ed ²

Synonym Study

See afraid.

Example Sentences

Mother Caroline Willgoose says "kids are going to school frightened" and the installation of knife arches could be a deterrent to crime.

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"She was in the house on her own, I think she felt frightened," he said.

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No one goes to Cannes expecting to be frightened by a film about a long-dead British writer.

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A community just a few miles from here, but also all over the UK, is terrorised, frightened and grieving.

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Then the door opened, and there were two women, who were so surprised and frightened when they saw me that they started screaming.

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Related Words

• afraid 
• anxious 
• fearful 
• panicky www.thesaurus.com
• spooked www.thesaurus.com
• startled 
• unnerved www.thesaurus.com