frighten

[ frahyt-n ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make afraid or fearful; throw into a fright; terrify; scare.

   Synonyms: intimidate, dismay, startle, shock

2. to drive (usually followed by away, off, etc.) by scaring:

   to frighten away pigeons from the roof.

verb (used without object)

1. to become frightened:

   a timid child who frightens easily.

frighten

/ ˈfraɪtən /

verb

1. to cause fear in; terrify; scare
2. to drive or force to go (away, off, out, in, etc) by making afraid

Derived Forms

• ˈfrighteningly, adverb
• ˈfrightening, adjective
• ˈfrightened, adjective

Other Words From

• frighten·a·ble adjective
• frighten·er noun
• frighten·ing·ly adverb
• non·frighten·ing adjective
• non·frighten·ing·ly adverb
• over·frighten verb
• un·frighten·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of frighten¹

First recorded in 1660–70; fright + -en ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see scare out of one's wits .

Synonym Study

Frighten, alarm, scare, terrify, terrorize, appall all mean to arouse fear in people or animals. To frighten is to shock with sudden, startling, but usually short-lived fear, especially that arising from the apprehension of physical harm: to frighten someone by a sudden noise. To alarm is to arouse the feelings through the realization of some imminent or unexpected danger: to alarm someone by a scream. To scare is to frighten, often without the presence of real danger: Horror movies really scare me. To terrify is to strike with violent, overwhelming, or paralyzing fear: to terrify a city by lawless acts. To terrorize is to terrify in a general, continued, systematic manner, either wantonly or in order to gain control: His marauding armies terrorized the countryside. To appall is to overcome or confound by dread, dismay, shock, or horror: The suffering caused by the earthquake appalled him.

Example Sentences

Or Peter Thiel's "seasteading" dream of an island nation where he and his buddies could be lordlings, carefully separated from the ordinary people who frighten them.

From Salon

And if you paid attention to his chats, this election's outcome may not have shocked you quite as much even as it may frighten you to the marrow.

From Salon

In order to frighten their parents, for Halloween kids in New York wore Freddie Freeman costumes.

From Los Angeles Times

He also told the jury that the fake bomb that he left on the desk of his barracks when he absconded from there in January 2022 was not designed to frighten anyone.

From BBC

He said MacPhail took the knife with him so if Holly refused his demands to resume their relationship, he could "frighten" and "pressure" her by pulling the blade out and saying he would cut himself if she did not relent.

From BBC

Related Words

• agitate
• alarm
• astound
• awe
• daunt
• demoralize
• deter
• disconcert
• discourage
• dishearten
• dismay
• faze
• horrify
• intimidate
• perturb
• petrify
• startle
• terrify
• terrorize
• unnerve