frighten

verb

fright·​en ˈfrī-tᵊn 

frightened; frightening ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈfrīt-niŋ

transitive verb

1

: to make afraid : terrify

The movie scene frightened the child.

2

: to drive or force by frightening

frightened the boy into confessing

intransitive verb

: to become frightened

She doesn't frighten easily.

frighteningly

ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ-lē 

ˈfrīt-niŋ-lē

adverb

Synonyms

• affright
• alarm
• alarum
• fright
• horrify
• panic
• scare
• scarify
• shock
• spook
• startle
• terrify
• terrorize

Examples of frighten in a Sentence

The story really frightened me.

The child was badly frightened by the mask.

Recent Examples on the Web

On the streets, conservative protesters, frightened that the left could win the next election, have rallied to Yoon. —Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2025

That frightened stray kitten forgot her fears and moved up on that ball of paper and batted it across the floor and then batted it again. —Carole Wendt, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

Things come to a head after Belle fakes a seizure at her son’s birthday party, frightening him. —Sam Reed, Glamour, 6 Feb. 2025

Police say that the company set out on a ride with seven horses when the guide’s horse got frightened, causing the other horses to get scared, too. —Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

fright entry 1 + -en entry 2

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing frighten

• frighten away/off
• frighten into
• frighten out of
• frighten/scare the life out of
• frighten the life out of
• frighten to death

Rhymes for frighten

• brighten
• chitin
• heighten
• lighten
• phaeton
• tighten
• titan
• triton
• whiten
• enlighten
• exciton
• periphyton

Kids Definition

frighten

verb

fright·​en ˈfrīt-ᵊn 

frightened; frightening ˈfrīt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: to make afraid : terrify

2

: to drive away or out by frightening

3

: to become frightened

frighteningly

-niŋ-lē 

-ᵊn-iŋ-

adverb