Synonym Usage
See afraid.
Other Word Forms
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
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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.
In the story’s climax, a frightened Ichabod encounters the terrible spirit on the way home from a party—or is it Brom, playing an elaborate prank?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Speaking to Italian news agency Ansa, he said he witnessed "smashed shop windows, looted stores, and frightened citizens", adding that "what happened here is what we are seeing in many cities around the world".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, said that he had witnessed "smashed shop windows, looted stores, and frightened citizens".
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
The complainant recalled him saying it might end badly for her, but that she had not felt frightened of him.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Regan looked particularly wild, her blond hair, usually straight, waving out in unruly tangles and twists that made her wide frightened eyes stand out sharply in her pale face.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
