Frightened — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈfrī-tᵊnd/ fright·ened

Meaning & Definition of Frightened

Frightened (adjective)

  1. feeling fear, made to feel afraid

Frightened (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. filled with fear or dread

    "I am frightened of the dark"

    similar: affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical, scared, scary, shocked, spooked, terrified, terrorized
    related: chicken, fainthearted, fearsome, shrinking, shy, timid, timorous, tremulant, tremulous, agitated, anxious, apprehensive, disconcerted, disquieted, disturbed, funky, jittery, jumpy, nervous, panicked, panicky, panic-stricken, perturbed, skittish, uneasy, upset, worried, phobic, appalled, dismayed, startled, cowed, daunted, intimidated, unnerved, coward, cowardly, craven, gutless, lily-livered, pusillanimous, careful, cautious, heedful, prudent, unadventurous, wary
    opposite: fearless, unafraid
    near: adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daredevil, daring, dashing, gutsy, plucky, spirited, spunky, venturesome, venturous, brave, courageous, gallant, hardy, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous, assured, collected, composed, confident, cool, sanguine, sure, unperturbed, dauntless, resolute, undaunted

Frightened (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to strike with fear

    "around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales"

    similar: affrighted, alarmed, frighted, horrified, panicked, scared, scarified, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, gave one the creeps, made one's flesh creep
    related: appalled, bowled over, dismayed, floored, jolted, shook, shook up, amazed, astounded, awed, chilled, daunted, demoralized, dispirited, emasculated, psyched (out), undid, unmanned, unnerved, unstrung, discomforted, discomposed, disconcerted, disquieted, distracted, distressed, disturbed, perturbed, unsettled, upset, worried
    opposite: reassured
    near: assured, cheered, comforted, consoled, solaced, soothed, emboldened, encouraged, heartened, inspired, steeled

Related Entry: Frighten (verb)

Frighten is a different word from Frightened. The synonyms below are for frighten, not for frightened.

  1. to strike with fear

    "around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales"

    similar: affright, alarm, fright, horrify, panic, scare, scarify, shock, spook, startle, terrify, terrorize, give one the creeps, make one's flesh creep
    related: appall, bowl over, dismay, floor, jolt, shake, shake up, amaze, astound, awe, chill, daunt, demoralize, dispirit, emasculate, psych (out), undo, unman, unnerve, unstring, discomfort, discompose, disconcert, disquiet, distract, distress, disturb, perturb, unsettle, upset, worry
    opposite: reassure
    near: assure, cheer, comfort, console, solace, soothe, embolden, encourage, hearten, inspire, steel

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Frightened

The most common words with a similar meaning to Frightened:

affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical, scared, scary, shocked, spooked, terrified, terrorized, frighted, panicked, scarified, startled, gave one the creeps, made one's flesh creep

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Frightened

Words with the opposite meaning of Frightened:

fearless, unafraid, reassured

Related Words for Frightened

chicken, fainthearted, fearsome, shrinking, shy, timid, timorous, tremulant, tremulous, agitated, anxious, apprehensive, disconcerted, disquieted, disturbed, funky, jittery, jumpy, nervous, panicky, panic-stricken, perturbed, skittish, uneasy, upset, worried, phobic, appalled, dismayed, cowed

Near Antonyms of Frightened

adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daredevil, daring, dashing, gutsy, plucky, spirited, spunky, venturesome, venturous, brave, courageous, gallant, hardy, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous, assured, collected, composed, confident

Origin & Etymology of Frightened

from past participle of frighten

First known use: 1591

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Frightened

Frequently Asked Questions about Frightened

What does "Frightened" mean?

"Frightened" means feeling fear, made to feel afraid. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: feeling fear, made to feel afraid. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Frightened"?

Other words for "Frightened" include affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, horrified, horror-struck and hysterical. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Frightened" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Frightened"?

There are 86 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Frightened". Common alternatives include affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical, scared and scary.

What is the opposite of "Frightened"?

Antonyms of "Frightened" include fearless, unafraid and reassured. Near antonyms include adventuresome, adventurous, audacious and bold.

How do you use "Frightened" in a sentence?

Examples of "Frightened" in a sentence: "I am frightened of the dark"; "around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales".

Is "Frightened" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Frightened" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Frightened" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Frightened" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Frightened"?

"Frightened" is pronounced /ˈfrī-tᵊnd/ and divided into syllables as fright·ened.