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frightener

 - 2 dictionary results

fright⋅en

  [frahyt-n]
Use frightener in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to make afraid or fearful; throw into a fright; terrify; scare.
2. to drive (usually fol. by away, off, etc.) by scaring: to frighten away pigeons from the roof.
–verb (used without object)
3. to become frightened: a timid child who frightens easily.
Origin:
1660–70; fright + -en 1

Related forms:
fright⋅en⋅a⋅ble, adjective
fright⋅en⋅er, noun
fright⋅en⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. shock, startle, dismay, intimidate. Frighten, alarm, scare, terrify, terrorize, appall all mean to arouse fear in people or animals. To frighten is to shock with sudden, startling, but usually short-lived fear, esp. that arising from the apprehension of physical harm: to frighten someone by a sudden noise. To alarm is to arouse the feelings through the realization of some imminent or unexpected danger: to alarm someone by a scream. To scare is to frighten, often without the presence of real danger: Horror movies really scare me. To terrify is to strike with violent, overwhelming, or paralyzing fear: to terrify a city by lawless acts. To terrorize is to terrify in a general, continued, systematic manner, either wantonly or in order to gain control: His marauding armies terrorized the countryside. To appall is to overcome or confound by dread, dismay, shock, or horror: The suffering caused by the earthquake appalled him.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To frightener
fright·en   (frīt'n)   
v.   fright·ened, fright·en·ing, fright·ens

v.   tr.

  1. To fill with fear; alarm.

  2. To drive or force by arousing fear: The suspect was frightened into confessing.

v.   intr.
To become afraid.
fright'en·er n., fright'en·ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to cause a person to experience fear. Frighten and the less formal scare are the most widely applicable: "The Count's mysterious warning frightened me at the time" (Bram Stoker). The angry dog scared the small child.
Alarm implies the often sudden onset of apprehension: Her sudden weight loss alarmed her doctor.
Terrify implies overwhelming, often paralyzing fear: "It is the coming of death that terrifies me" (Oscar Wilde).
Terrorize implies intimidation and sometimes suggests deliberate coercion: "The decent citizen was terrorized into paying public blackmail" (Arthur Conan Doyle).
Startle suggests a momentary shock that may cause a sudden, involuntary movement of the body: The clap of thunder startled us.
Panic implies sudden frantic fear that often impairs self-control and rationality: The realistic radio drama panicked the listeners who tuned in after it had begun.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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