Related Words
See afraid.
Other Word Forms
- frightenedly adverb
- unfrightened adjective
- well-frightened adjective
Etymology
Origin of frightened
Explanation
Someone who's frightened is scared or anxious. A frightened camper might tremble with fear as she listens to the scary campfire stories her counselor tells. When you're frightened, you feel fearful — you might be frightened of thunderstorms or frightened of strange dogs. A frightened airplane passenger might panic and cause other people to become frightened. The adjective comes from frighten — before the 1660s, the verb was instead fright. All of these words share an Old English root, fyrhtu, "fear, dread, trembling, or horrible sight."
Vocabulary lists containing frightened
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Yikes! Synonyms for "Scared"
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Hooked on a Feeling, List 2
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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.
Official L.A., anxious to mollify angry and frightened Angelenos, dropped the hammer on a plant near downtown L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Dahl made his fortune by tapping into the delight children take in being frightened, conjuring worlds where evil lurks, often in human form.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
A British man jailed with his wife in Iran on espionage charges has said they feel frightened by the war and abandoned by the British government.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
The soldiers were frightened of Issa, whose dark powers, they suspected, had allowed him to survive the fierce assault on his house.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
“One,” Cassiopeia squeaked, for although she was frightened, she could never resist a math problem.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
