frighten
Make someone jump
Frighten means to cause fear or alarm.
A sudden noise frightens you; a horror movie frightens audiences deliberately.
The passive form is common: I was frightened by the sound.
Frightened of and frightened by both work, with subtle difference—you're frightened of spiders generally, frightened by the one that just dropped on your arm.
To frighten someone off or away is to scare them into leaving or abandoning something: The price tag frightened off potential buyers.
Cause extreme fright
- horrifyCause intense revulsion
- petrifyFossilize or paralyze utterly
- appallShock with disgust
- traumatizeCause lasting psychological harm
haunt · nightmare · dread · phobia · ghastly · macabre · gruesome · sinister
Apparition or frighten
- startleFrighten suddenly
- joltAbrupt forceful shake
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
jump · flinch · gasp · shriek · scream · scare · alarm · panic
Habitual intimidator
- coerceObtain by intimidation
- menaceSource of potential harm
- threatenPromise harm or punishment
- pressureForce upon contact
browbeat · cow · daunt · unnerve · overawe · domineer · subdue · strong-arm
Emergency response hormone
- rushQuick sudden movement
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- edge-of-seatIntensely suspenseful experience
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
exhilaration · daredevil · rollercoaster · jump-scare · thriller · scream · shriek · anticipation
terrify
Cause extreme fright
traumatize · haunt · nightmare · dread · phobia · ghastly · macabre · gruesome · sinister · eerie
spook
Apparition or frighten
surprise · jump · flinch · gasp · shriek · scream · scare · alarm · panic · freeze
bully
Habitual intimidator
pressure · browbeat · cow · daunt · unnerve · overawe · domineer · subdue · strong-arm · overpower
adrenaline
Emergency response hormone
- rushQuick sudden movement
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- edge-of-seatIntensely suspenseful experience
cliffhanger · exhilaration · daredevil · rollercoaster · jump-scare · thriller · scream · shriek · anticipation · tension
alarm
Urgent warning signal
caution · signal · horn · bell · whistle · evacuate · emergency · distress · beacon · flashing
- stage frightFear of performing publicly
- fright wigComically disheveled hairpiece
- take frightBecome suddenly afraid
- fright festCelebration of scary entertainment
- night frightsAlarming episodes during sleep
- frighten the piss out ofScare very badly
fright, frightening, frightened, frightful, frightens, frights, frightfully, frighteningly, frightener