Synonym Usage
See afraid.
Other Word Forms
Derived 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
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.
Frightened and not knowing where to go, they hastily took cover under the steps of a villa whose owners had themselves left everything on the table and hurried off.
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
Frightened, he began to run away, his son said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2025
Frightened dogs in the street tried to find a spot to lie down between women and children.
From BBC • Nov. 8, 2023
That episode, "Self-Help for Frightened Liberals," is well worth your time.
From Salon • Oct. 1, 2023
Frightened and weeping, the boy had attended his mother’s burial; frightened and gloomy he had listened to Siddhartha greeting him as his son and making him welcome in Vasudeva’s hut.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
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.
