frightened
6 synonyms and 0 antonyms for frightened, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Feeling fear; scared.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use frightened
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Frequently asked questions
What does “frightened” mean?
The word “frightened” means feeling fear; scared. In plain terms, describes someone who is scared.
How do you pronounce “frightened”?
“Frightened” is pronounced FRYTND (/ˈfɹaɪtn̩d/ in IPA).
How do you use “frightened” in a sentence?
Here is “frightened” used in a sentence: “The frightened child hid behind her mother.”
What part of speech is “frightened”?
“Frightened” is an adjective.
Is “frightened” a common word?
“Frightened” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
What is the difference between frightened and scared?
Frightened and scared both describe feeling fear, and they are largely interchangeable in everyday speech. Frightened can sound slightly more formal or literary, while scared is more casual and common in spoken conversation.
What preposition follows frightened?
Frightened is typically followed by "of" for a general fear (frightened of spiders) or "by" for a specific triggering event (frightened by the loud noise). "Frightened that" can also introduce a clause expressing a worry, as in "frightened that she would be late."
Is frightened the same as frightening?
No. Frightened describes how a person feels (a frightened child), while frightening describes something that causes that feeling (a frightening storm). This is the standard pattern for -ed/-ing adjective pairs in English.