INDEX:
1. frightened of someone or something
2. when you do not want to do something because you are frightened
3. to be suddenly frightened
4. to make someone feel frightened
5. making you feel frightened
6. to deliberately frighten someone
7. someone who easily gets frightened
8. the feeling of being frightened
9. an event or situation that frightens people
10. a film or story that is intended to frighten you
RELATED WORDS
shake because you are frightened : ↑ SHAKE (2)
see also
↑ NERVOUS
↑ BRAVE/NOT BRAVE
↑ CONFIDENT/NOT CONFIDENT
↑ SCREAM
↑ GHOST
↑ MAGIC
↑ STRANGE
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1. frightened of someone or something
▷ frightened /ˈfraɪtnd/ [adjective]
feeling very nervous and afraid of someone or something, because you think something bad is going to happen to you because of them :
▪ Don’t be frightened, it’s only thunder.
▪ Two frightened children were hiding in a corner of the room.
frightened of
▪ A lot of people are frightened of dentists.
▪ Are you frightened of the dark?
frightened to do something
▪ I was frightened to move in case the branch broke.
frightened of doing something
▪ He was frightened of making mistakes.
frightened (that)
▪ I was frightened my parents would get divorced, and wished that there was something I could do to make them happy again.
▪ Alice kept perfectly still, frightened that the dog might attack her.
▷ afraid /əˈfreɪd/ [adjective not before noun]
frightened :
▪ Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.
afraid of
▪ He had a terrible temper and everyone was afraid of him.
▪ It’s amazing how many people are afraid of spiders.
afraid (that)
▪ Billy was afraid his aunt would punish him if he owned up.
afraid to do something
▪ She was afraid to speak up in front of all these important people.
afraid of doing something
▪ I didn’t tell anyone, because I was afraid of being punished afraid I might be punished .
▷ scared /skeəʳd/ [adjective not before noun] especially spoken
frightened :
▪ The first time I went on a motorcycle I was really scared.
scared of
▪ She’s always been scared of heights.
scared to do something
▪ I stood still, scared to move forward and scared to go back.
scared of doing something
▪ I think they were all scared of offending him.
scared (that)
▪ I hate reading out my work in class - I’m scared that people are going to laugh at me.
scared stiff/scared to death
very scared
▪ When he came back he looked scared stiff, as if he’d seen a ghost.
▷ terrified /ˈterɪfaɪd, ˈterəfaɪd/ [adjective]
extremely frightened :
▪ The faces of the four terrified teenagers looked up at us.
terrified of
▪ He’s absolutely terrified of snakes.
terrified to do something
▪ The little boy cowered behind the tree, terrified to make a sound.
terrified (that)
▪ I was terrified that my father would find out I had lied to him.
absolutely terrified
▪ I couldn’t move - I was absolutely terrified.
▷ petrified /ˈpetrɪfaɪd, ˈpetrəfaɪd/ [adjective]
extremely frightened, especially so frightened that you cannot move :
▪ She just stood there, petrified at the thought of the crowds waiting outside.
absolutely petrified
▪ He had the gun pointed at my head. I was absolutely petrified.
petrified of
▪ She’s a very nervous dog, and she’s petrified of traffic.
be petrified with fear
▪ He was petrified with fear as I held my knife in front of him.
▷ panic-stricken /ˈpænɪk ˌstrɪkən/ [adjective]
so frightened that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly, especially when something has suddenly frightened you :
▪ A few seconds after the explosion the street was full of panic-stricken people, fleeing in all directions.
▪ Mr Cottle dashed in, looking panic-stricken.
▪ In a panic-stricken attempt to free herself from Annie’s grip, she snatched the scissors off the table.
▷ live in fear /ˌlɪv ɪn ˈfɪəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to always be afraid of something unpleasant that is fairly likely to happen :
▪ Until security can be assured, the people here will continue to live in fear.
live in fear of something/doing something
▪ After leaking the secret document, Sarah lived in fear of being found out.
live in fear (that)
▪ A surgeon lives in constant fear that something will go wrong in an operation when he’s feeling tired.
▷ scared stiff/scared out of your wits/scared to death /ˌskeəʳd ˈstɪf, ˌskeəʳd aʊt əv jɔːʳ ˈwɪts, ˌskeəʳd tə ˈdeθ/ [adjective phrase] informal
extremely frightened :
▪ You must have been scared stiff when you saw the car coming straight towards you.
▪ Helen had to go for an interview with the school Principal -- she was scared stiff.
▪ I knew a man was following me, and I was scared out of my wits.
▪ Some of the prisoners were only 16 or 17, and they looked scared to death.
2. when you do not want to do something because you are frightened
▷ be afraid/be frightened/be scared /biː əˈfreɪd, biː ˈfraɪtnd, biː ˈskeəʳd/ [verb phrase]
to be unwilling to do something because you are frightened about what may happen if you do it. Be scared is more informal than be afraid or be frightened :
▪ I wanted to talk to you about it, but I was frightened.
▪ We are urging our citizens to carry on as normal and not be afraid.
▪ A lot of young children are frightened the first time they are put on a horse’s back.
be afraid/be frightened/be scared to do something
▪ Many old people are afraid to go out at night.
be afraid/be frightened/be scared of doing something
▪ She asked me to come with her because she was scared of going there on her own.
▪ He’s frightened of flying in case there’s a bomb on the plane.
be afraid/be frightened/be scared (that)
▪ She was afraid that if she went to the police, her husband would beat her up again.
▷ be terrified /biː ˈterə̇faɪd/ [verb phrase]
to be unwilling to do something because you are extremely frightened about what may happen if you do it :
▪ When my name was finally called I was terrified.
be terrified (that)
▪ I didn’t tell my parents I was pregnant. I was terrified that they would throw me out of the house.
be terrified of doing something
▪ They always travel by boat because Jimmy’s terrified of flying.
be terrified to do something
▪ She was too terrified to jump from the flames.
▷ dread /dred/ [transitive verb]
to feel worried and frightened about something you have to do :
▪ I have to go to the dentist’s tomorrow, and I’m dreading it.
dread doing something
▪ The Wilsons were coming back from holiday today, and I was dreading telling them what had happened while they were away.
▷ fear /fɪəʳ/ [transitive verb not in progressive] written
to be frightened about what may happen if you do something :
▪ Many of the gang’s victims refused to give information to the police because they feared reprisals.
fear (that)
▪ The rescuers dug slowly and carefully, fearing that the wreckage might collapse on top of them.
▷ be fearful /biː ˈfɪəʳf ə l/ [verb phrase] formal
to be unwilling to do something because you are worried about the possibility of trouble or danger :
be fearful of
▪ The Energy Department, fearful of public reaction, has cancelled its plans to build four new nuclear reactors.
be fearful of doing something
▪ The threats left her plagued by nightmares, and fearful of making public appearances.
be fearful (that)
▪ She gave up smoking when she was pregnant, fearful that it might damage her baby.
▷ for fear of something /fəʳ ˈfɪər əv something/ [preposition]
if you are unwilling to do something for fear of something bad happening, you are frightened that something bad will happen if you do it :
▪ The workers are unhappy but will not complain for fear of losing their jobs.
▪ I didn’t turn on the light, for fear of waking the baby.
▪ Women and the elderly refuse to leave their apartments, for fear of the hooligans who rule the streets.
▷ have a phobia about /ˌhæv ə ˈfəʊbiə əbaʊt/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have a strong and unreasonable dislike and fear of something, especially of something that is not frightening for most people :
▪ Carol had a phobia about snakes -- even talking about them made her shiver.
▪ She has a phobia about telephone answering machines and will never leave a message.
3. to be suddenly frightened
▷ get a fright /ˌget ə ˈfraɪt/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be suddenly frightened by something that happens :
▪ I got a terrible fright when that dog jumped out at me.
get the fright of your life
informal be suddenly very frightened
▪ I got the fright of my life when he suddenly spoke from out of the darkness.
▷ panic /ˈpænɪk/ [intransitive verb]
to suddenly become so frightened that you cannot think clearly, especially if this makes you do something dangerous or stupid :
▪ When the parachute didn’t open I just panicked.
▪ The soldiers panicked and opened fire on the raiders.
▪ When a plane gets into difficulty it is essential that the pilot does not panic.
▷ jump /dʒʌmp/ [intransitive verb]
to make a sudden movement because you are surprised and frightened by something that happens very suddenly :
▪ Something came out in front of me and I jumped.
▪ Following the attacks, he now jumps every time he hears a plane.
jump out of your skin
▪ She jumped out of her skin, as something cold and snakelike was thrust into her hand.
▷ go white/pale /ˌgəʊ ˈwaɪt, ˈpeɪl/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to suddenly feel very frightened, with the result that your face becomes very pale :
▪ Alexander looked down the hall, and went pale with fright. It was as if he had seen a ghost.
go white as a sheet
▪ You’re as white as a sheet. What’s happened?
▪ The nurse came in with a hypodermic needle, and Rob went white as a sheet.
4. to make someone feel frightened
▷ frighten /ˈfraɪtn/ [transitive verb]
▪ Does the thought of death frighten you?
▪ Take that silly mask off -- you’re frightening the children.
it frightens somebody to know/think etc
▪ It frightens me to know that the rapist still hasn’t been caught.
frighten the life out of somebody
make someone feel very frightened
▪ What are you doing creeping up on me like that? You frightened the life out of me!
frighten somebody out of their wits
make someone feel very frightened
▪ Film-makers have always known that one way to capture an audience is to frighten it out of its wits.
frighten the (living) daylights out of somebody
make someone feel very frightened
▪ Melissa spun round to see Eddie standing behind her. ‘You frightened the daylights out of me!’ she gasped. ‘I never heard you come in.’
frighten somebody into doing something
make someone do something by frightening them
▪ Their lawyers tried to frighten us into signing the contract.
frighten somebody off/frighten off somebody
frighten someone so that they go away or stop trying to do something
▪ The man pulled out a gun and managed to frighten off his attackers.
▷ scare /skeəʳ/ [transitive verb] especially spoken
to make someone feel frightened, especially by making them think something very unpleasant might happen :
▪ He was driving fast just to scare us.
▪ We’re not really going to get arrested - I think the police are trying to scare us.
it scares somebody to know/think etc
▪ It scared him to think that his mother might never recover.
scare the hell out of somebody
make someone feel very frightened informal
▪ She scared the hell out of me when she said she had to go into hospital.
scare the (living) daylights out of somebody
make someone feel very frightened
▪ Don’t creep up on me like that! You scared the living daylights out of me!
▷ terrify /ˈterɪfaɪ, ˈterəfaɪ/ [transitive verb]
to make someone feel very frightened :
▪ The idea of going down into the caves terrified her.
▪ The teacher terrified her so much, that she hated going to school.
▪ My uncle suffers from agoraphobia, and the idea of leaving the house terrifies him.
it terrifies somebody to think/know etc
▪ It terrified him to think that, in six months’ time, he would have to stand up in front of a class and teach them something.
▷ give somebody a fright /ˌgɪv somebody ə ˈfraɪt/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to make someone suddenly feel frightened so that they make a sudden movement or their heart starts beating quickly :
▪ He really gave me a fright when he phoned at that time of night.
give somebody a hell of a fright
make someone suddenly very frightened informal
▪ I accidentally touched a live wire in the motor, and even though it didn’t hurt me it gave me a hell of a fright.
▷ alarm /əˈlɑːʳm/ [transitive verb]
to make people feel very worried about a possible danger :
▪ We don’t wish to alarm people unnecessarily, but it would be wise to avoid drinking the tap water here.
▪ Many women are alarmed by suggestions of a link between the contraceptive pill and breast cancer.
alarming [adjective]
▪ There have been several alarming incidents where planes have almost crashed.
▷ startle /ˈstɑːʳtl/ [transitive verb]
if someone or something startles you, they frighten you because you see them suddenly or hear them when you did not know they were there :
▪ I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.
▪ The noise startled him, and he dropped his glass on the floor.
▪ Any unexpected movements can startle the animal, so it must be approached slowly and steadily.
▷ make somebody jump /ˌmeɪk somebody ˈdʒʌmp/ [verb phrase]
to suddenly surprise and frighten someone so that they make a sudden movement :
▪ Sorry! I didn’t mean to make you jump.
▪ Something darted out from behind the hedge, and made me jump.
▷ give somebody the creeps /ˌgɪv somebody ðə ˈkriːps/ [verb phrase]
if a person or a place gives you the creeps, they make you feel slightly frightened and nervous because they are strange :
▪ This house gives me the creeps - it’s so dark and quiet.
▪ I hate being left alone in the office with Graham - he gives me the creeps.
▷ make your hair stand on end /ˌmeɪk jɔːʳ ˈheəʳ stænd ɒn ˌend/ [verb phrase] informal
if something such as a story or account makes your hair stand on end it makes you very frightened :
▪ Wait until I tell you about the murder -- it’ll make your hair stand on end.
▪ I’ve heard rumours about how Captain Crayshaw disciplines his crew... things to make your hair stand on end.
▷ send shivers down your spine /send ˈʃɪvəʳz daʊn jɔːʳ ˌspaɪn/ [verb phrase]
if a thought or experience sends shivers down your spine, it makes you feel very frightened especially because it involves someone or something that is very evil :
▪ When you think of what happened in that house, it sends shivers down your spine.
▪ Mere mention of his name is enough to send shivers down the spine of even the most battle-hardened fighter.
▷ make your blood run cold /ˌmeɪk jɔːʳ ˈblʌd rʌn ˌkəʊld/ [verb phrase]
if a thought or experience makes your blood run cold, it shocks and frightens you because it is extremely cruel, violent, or dangerous :
▪ The thought of ever returning to the prison makes his blood run cold.
▪ The man stepped forward, and when Amelie saw him give a Nazi salute, it made her blood run cold.
5. making you feel frightened
▷ frightening /ˈfraɪtnɪŋ/ [adjective]
making you feel frightened :
▪ Driving in big cities can be pretty frightening for many people.
it’s frightening
▪ There are so many people with guns these days, it’s really frightening.
it is frightening to do something
▪ It’s frightening to think that something like this can happen in America today.
a frightening experience/thought/prospect
▪ It was the most frightening experience of my life.
▪ After so many years, going back to college and studying was a frightening prospect.
▷ terrifying /ˈterɪfaɪ-ɪŋ, ˈterəfaɪ-ɪŋ/ [adjective]
very frightening :
▪ They stopped me, and I saw that they had a gun. It was terrifying.
▪ I opened my eyes, and tried to banish the terrifying images of the plane falling from the sky, and crashing into the sea.
a terrifying scream/crash/sound etc
▪ There was a terrifying crash, and the house seemed to shake.
a terrifying experience/ordeal/thought
▪ It had been a terrifying ordeal, but now, at last, he was free.
▷ scary /ˈske ə ri/ [adjective] especially spoken
frightening - use this especially about stories, films, or situations in which strange or frightening things happen :
▪ She didn’t like the film. It was too scary for her.
▪ I had a really scary dream last night.
it’s scary
▪ I don’t regret my decision to start a new life, in a new country. It’s scary, but it’s also really exciting.
▪ a big scary monster
▷ spooky /ˈspuːki/ [adjective]
a place or story that is spooky is frightening, especially because it is dark, strange etc :
▪ The forest is really spooky in the dark.
▪ Will you shut up about ghosts! You always scare me with that spooky talk!
▪ I remembered that spooky feeling of being alone in the woods, and feeling that you are being watched by supernatural eyes.
▪ We sat around the fire and told spooky tales.
▷ creepy /ˈkriːpi/ [adjective]
a creepy feeling or place is one that is strange and makes you feel nervous and frightened, especially because you think that someone or something frightening might be there :
▪ The house looked OK from the outside but inside it was all dark and creepy.
▪ This place is really creepy. Let’s get out of here.
▪ I got a real creepy feeling on the way over there, as if someone was watching me.
▷ chilling /ˈtʃɪlɪŋ/ [adjective]
a fact, statement or experience that is chilling, makes you feel frightened or shocked, because it is extremely cruel, violent, dangerous etc :
▪ The lawyer gave a chilling demonstration of how the accused used a towel to suffocate his victim.
▪ The captain’s message ended with the chilling words: ‘Mission completed. All prisoners disposed of.’
▪ The case is a chilling reminder of how ordinary, seemingly respectable citizens still have racist and deeply intolerant views.
▷ hair-raising /ˈheəʳ ˌreɪzɪŋ/ [adjective]
an experience that is hair-raising is frightening because it is very dangerous :
▪ We ended up making a hair-raising 200-kilometre night drive to the border.
▪ After various hair-raising adventures in Afghanistan, Newcombe settled in Northern India.
hair-raising tale/story
▪ Jenny had lots of adventures, travelling all over the world and always coming home with hair-raising stories.
▷ spine-chilling /ˈspaɪn ˌtʃɪlɪŋ/ [adjective]
something such as a story, film, or statement that is spine-chilling is frightening because it clearly describes or shows frightening or evil events :
▪ The collection includes a spine-chilling ghost story by Edgar Allan Poe.
▪ The only journalist to witness the rebellion gave a spine-chilling account of atrocities carried out by both sides.
▷ blood-curdling /ˈblʌd ˌkɜːʳdlɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
blood-curdling scream/howl/roar etc
very frightening or made by someone who is extremely frightened :
▪ Mary went upstairs to look for Dean and seconds later I heard a blood-curdling scream.
▪ the blood-curdling howls of the wolves in the forest
6. to deliberately frighten someone
▷ frighten/scare somebody into something /ˈfraɪtn, ˈskeəʳ somebody ɪntə something/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make someone feel frightened about what will happen if they do not do something, so that they do it. Scare somebody into is more informal than frighten somebody into :
frighten/scare somebody into doing something
▪ The Nationalists kept talking about the ‘Communist threat’ to scare people into voting for them.
▪ Stapleton had tried to frighten her into keeping quiet, but she had refused to be intimidated.
▷ terrorize also terrorise British /ˈterəraɪz/ [transitive verb]
to deliberately frighten people over a long period of time, by using violence or by threatening them, especially in order to make them do what you want :
▪ Some of the older children dominated the playground and terrorized the smaller kids.
▪ A gang of youths are roaming the city, vandalising stores, starting fires, and terrorizing people.
terrorize somebody into doing something
make someone do something by using violence, threats etc
▪ With threats, beatings, and even murder, the workers were terrorized into leaving their unions.
7. someone who easily gets frightened
▷ scare easily /ˈskeəʳ ˌiːzə̇li/ [verb phrase] informal
to easily get frightened :
▪ Being a police officer isn’t a job for someone who scares easily.
▪ I’ll go down and see what that noise was. I don’t scare easily you know.
▷ timid /ˈtɪmɪd, ˈtɪməd/ [adjective]
easily frightened and unwilling to do anything that might be unpleasant or dangerous :
▪ Decker knew that the senior officer was wrong, but was too timid to tell him.
▪ They think I’m just a timid woman, but I’ll show them they’re wrong.
timid about doing something
▪ I was always timid about taking action in a crisis, but not Doris.
▷ nervous /ˈnɜːʳvəs/ [adjective]
a nervous person is always worried or frightened about something that may happen, so that they cannot relax :
▪ You know what makes me nervous? When people drive really close behind you.
▪ The stage is huge, you know, and I walked out there, and I was real nervous.
nervous about
▪ I was so nervous about my exams that I couldn’t sleep.
nervous of
▪ Jill’s always been a little nervous of dogs.
of a nervous disposition
with a nervous character formal
▪ People of a nervous disposition may be upset by some of the scenes in the following programme.
8. the feeling of being frightened
▷ fear /fɪəʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
the feeling you have when you are very frightened, or the thought that something very unpleasant will happen :
▪ The boy’s eyes were full of fear.
fear of
▪ Fears of a recession have wiped billions of dollars off share values.
▪ fear of flying
▪ My fear of the dentist goes back to when I was a child.
fear that
▪ There was always the fear that he might never return.
do something in fear
do something because you feel fear
▪ I glanced around in fear. Was someone following me?
do something in fear of your life
do something because you think you are going to be killed
▪ People fled in fear of their lives, as mud began to pour down the mountainside.
shake/tremble/go white etc with fear
▪ Her hands were shaking with fear.
frozen/sick with fear
▪ The boat had gone. We stood frozen with fear, staring at the sea.
hopes and fears
the things that you hope will happen and the things that you are frightened will happen
▪ On New Year’s Eve we come together, and share our hopes and fears for the coming year.
▷ terror /ˈterəʳ/ [uncountable noun]
a very strong feeling of fear when you think that something very bad is going to happen to you, especially that you will be killed :
▪ Denver burst from the room, terror in her eyes.
▪ The men on the quivering, battered boat were mad with terror.
▪ Their faces were white, and their eyes were filled with terror.
in terror
because you are very frightened
▪ Shots were fired, and the children fled in terror.
sheer terror
very great terror
▪ I will never forget the look of sheer terror on her face.
terror-stricken
feeling terror
▪ Terror-stricken refugees fled across the border.
▷ horror /ˈhɒrəʳǁˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
a strong feeling of shock and fear that you have when you see something terrible happen, or when you think of something terrible :
▪ Jocasta turned white, a look of horror on her face.
in horror
▪ The crowd watched in horror as the plane hit the ground and burst into flames.
to somebody’s horror
making someone feel very frightened
▪ He suddenly realized to his horror that the brakes weren’t working.
▪ To his horror, PC Kelly saw a handgun protruding from the man’s coat.
▷ panic /ˈpænɪk/ [uncountable noun]
a sudden, strong feeling of fear when you are in a dangerous situation, that often makes you do things that are not sensible because you cannot think clearly :
▪ There was a sudden panic and everyone started rushing towards the door.
in panic
▪ Shoppers fled the street in panic after two bombs exploded in central London.
get into a panic/be thrown into a panic
▪ She got into a real panic when she thought she’d lost the tickets.
panic-stricken
feeling panic
▪ The panic-stricken crowd pushed through the exit, and 10 people were crushed to death.
▷ foreboding /fɔːʳˈbəʊdɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of fear because you think something bad is going to happen although you do not have any real reason for thinking this :
▪ ‘Jeanie, I have to go away,’ he said, his voice full of foreboding.
a feeling/sense of foreboding
▪ As they waited at the airfield, Sara had the same feeling of foreboding that she had felt before her father died.
▪ He had a sudden sense of foreboding. Something was wrong, very wrong.
9. an event or situation that frightens people
▷ scare /skeəʳ/ [countable noun]
a situation in which a lot of people are frightened of something such as a serious illness, violence, or a problem that may harm them - used especially in news reports :
▪ Aids has caused such a scare that fewer and fewer people are giving blood.
scare about/over
▪ A year after Chernobyl the scare about radioactive food had died down.
bomb scare
when there is a report that there is a bomb
▪ Retail sales were down due to a spate of bomb scares before Christmas.
food/health scare
▪ Some people, nervous about the health scare over cellular phones, have started using hands-free apparatus.
▷ horror /ˈhɒrəʳǁˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-/ [countable noun]
an event or situation which frightens and shocks people because they see terrible things happening :
▪ Children in these famine-stricken areas simply cannot be protected from the horror all around them.
the horror of
▪ One woman cried as she told of the horror of seeing workmates killed in the lift.
▪ They joined the anti- nuclear campaign after seeing a film about the horrors of Hiroshima.
10. a film or story that is intended to frighten you
▷ horror /ˈhɒrəʳǁˈhɔː-, ˈhɑː-/ [adjective only before noun]
horror film/movie/story etc
a film or story that is intended to make you feel frightened :
▪ The movie is based on a horror story by Stephen King.
▪ a low-budget horror film about a group of teenagers in a wood
▷ thriller /ˈθrɪləʳ/ [countable noun]
a film or book that is intended to be exciting and frightening because you do not know what will happen next :
▪ Kurt Russell and Steven Seagal team up in a thriller about a hijacked plane.
action/crime/psychological etc thriller
▪ ‘Psycho’ is Hitchcock’s greatest psychological thriller.
▪ ‘Bullet to Beijing’, a spy thriller, starring Michael Caine and Michael Gambon