ENGLISH
REFERENCE

frightened

adj.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈfɹaɪtənd// UK //fɹˈaɪtənd// fright·ened General-service

adj. feeling fear or worry. You use this when something makes you afraid, often because of a sudden surprise or a scary situation.

adj. feeling fear or anxiety; afraid. Often used to describe a temporary state of alarm rather than a permanent personality trait.


SIMPLE

The loud thunder made the children feel frightened.

CONTEXTUAL

She was too frightened to walk through the dark park alone at night.

COMPLEX

Frightened by the sudden drop in the stock market, many small investors sold their shares immediately, fearing a total economic collapse.

Synonyms
Usage

Commonly followed by the prepositions 'of' or 'by', or a 'to' infinitive.

Pitfall

The movie was very frightened.The movie was very frightening.Learners often confuse the -ed adjective (how you feel) with the -ing adjective (the thing that causes the feeling).

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