frightened

adjective

fright·​ened ˈfrī-tᵊnd How to pronounce frightened (audio)
Synonyms of frightenednext
: 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.
Chesney became frightened, scaled the enclosure wall and hopped over the fence. Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026 The team caught up with Chesney on Wednesday and again Thursday night, but Johnson said the frightened kangaroo slipped away — once by jumping into a cold river — and Johnson lost track on the drone. John O'Connor, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026 Chesney became frightened, scaled the enclosure wall and hopped over the fence. Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 29 Mar. 2026 The easily frightened — and the recently engaged — might be advised to approach Boston’s new series, which premiered Thursday, with caution. Gina McIntyre, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026 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 5 Apr. 2026.

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