: 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.
More than 25,000 onlookers came to see the whale over the next few days, but when a thunderstorm erupted on July 5, the whale became frightened. Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Many people may be intrinsically frightened of robots. Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025 If the cat remains frightened and timid, talk to your vet about medications that might help. Joan Morris, Mercury News, 23 June 2025 Audience noises at the NRG Stadium in Houston went from frightened gasps to applause as the descent was completed. Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 June 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 24 Jul. 2025.

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