frightened

adjective

fright·​ened ˈfrī-tᵊnd How to pronounce frightened (audio)
: feeling fear : made to feel afraid
a badly frightened child
The farmer was hurrying out into the road, and his wife was standing at the gate, looking very frightened.Anna Sewell

Examples of frightened in a Sentence

I am frightened of the dark
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When a deputy arrived, the victim was shaking and frightened, the complaint said. Dylan Gentile, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025 The next night, her sister Gwen said Selonia became frightened when a relative who was visiting Selonia spotted Jimmy Ray Barnes near her home. Vladimir Duthiers, Paul Larosa, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2025 Smoke and dust filled the rooms, and Hassan scrambled to rush his frightened children outside. Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025 That takes some fortitude, when world trade is on the verge of collapse, consumers are frightened and businesses can’t plan anything. William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for frightened

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of frighten

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of frightened was in 1591

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Frightened.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frightened. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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