frightened

/ˈfraɪtnd/

/ˈfraɪtɪnd/

Other forms: frightenedly

Someone who's frightened is scared or anxious. A frightened camper might tremble with fear as she listens to the scary campfire stories her counselor tells.

When you're frightened, you feel fearful — you might be frightened of thunderstorms or frightened of strange dogs. A frightened airplane passenger might panic and cause other people to become frightened. The adjective comes from frighten — before the 1660s, the verb was instead fright. All of these words share an Old English root, fyrhtu, "fear, dread, trembling, or horrible sight."

Definitions of frightened

1. adjective

   made afraid
   “the frightened child cowered in the corner”

   synonyms: scared

   afraid

   filled with fear or apprehension
2. adjective

   thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
   synonyms: panic-stricken, panic-struck, panicked, panicky, terrified

   afraid

   filled with fear or apprehension