ˈfrīt ə n verb
( frightened ; frightened ; frightening -t( ə )niŋ ; frightens )
Etymology: fright (I) + -en
transitive verb
1. : to markedly disturb with fear : throw into a state of alarm : make afraid : terrify
the mask frightened the child
2.
a. : to impel or drive by frightening
frightened the boy into confessing his crime
frightened the prowler away
b. : to evoke by the use of frightening methods
frighten the secret out of the man
3. dialect England : to take by surprise : amaze
I shouldn't be frightened if it rained today
intransitive verb
1. : to produce fright : scare , terrify
a costume designed to frighten
2. : to become frightened
not a man who frightens easily
Synonyms:
fright , scare , alarm , terrify , terrorize , startle , affray , affright : these verbs have in common the meaning of to fill with fear or dread. frighten , perhaps the most general, may apply to a momentary reaction of mild or acute apprehension or to a long-standing state of mind in which fear or dread prevails, although more frequently implying a shortish reaction of acute apprehension and generally suggesting a paralyzing effect upon the body or the will
children frightened by thunder
the silence of the house for a long time frightened Clara — Sherwood Anderson
when I started down that precipice I was frightened, literally scared numb and stiff — W.A.White
fright is an older and now almost solely literary or dialect form of frighten
you have Death perpetually before your eyes, only so far removed as to compose the mind without frighting it — Thomas Gray
Often equivalent to frighten in conversational use, scare usually implies a quick fear that causes one to run, shy, or tremble
the near approach of death scared him into sincerity — T.B.Macaulay
sensational books commonly try to scare the reader — C.E.Kellogg
alarm , in modern use, stresses apprehension or anxiety
they had been alarmed during the night by loud noises that must have been demolitions of some kind — Eric Linklater
my mother, alarmed by the cries and fighting, came running downstairs to help me — R.L.Stevenson
terrify puts stress upon acute fear and agitation, usually suggesting a state of mind in which self-control or self-direction are impossible
something in his face and in his voice terrified her heart — Robert Hichins
these things terrified the people to the last degree — Daniel Defoe
terrorize , as distinct from terrify , often implies an intentional affecting with terror
a band of cutthroats and thieves that terrorized the lower Mississippi valley — American Guide Series: Tennessee
he delighted in terrorizing the guests by his bullying and swaggering ways — E.V.Buckholder
startle always implies surprise or a sudden usually light shock that causes one to jump or shrink
an infant is startled by a loud noise — Morris Fishbein
suddenly she was startled into an upright position, with her eyes staring and her mouth wide open — Liam O'Flaherty
affray and affright are now archaic and found usually in poetic works; affray is very close to terrify , affright close to frighten
blastings and blightings of hope and love, and rude shocks that affray — Robert Bridges †1930
I was affrighted by that impossible novel — W.B.Yeats
a picture of Purgatory which made the hair of those who gazed on it stand on end in terror, and so affrighted the butchers and the fishmongers that they abandoned their trade of taking life — Laurence Binyon