1
general::
frightened
feeling worried because you might get hurt or because something bad might happen:
• I was too frightened to say anything. • Many animals are frightened of fireworks. • Frightened residents called the police as the gang started throwing bricks.
scared
[ not before noun ] especially spoken frightened. Scared is less formal than frightened and is the usual word to use in everyday English:
• I’m scared of dogs. • Old people are too scared to go out of their homes.
afraid
[ not before noun ] frightened. Afraid sounds more formal than frightened or scared:
• Children are often afraid of the dark. • I was afraid that I might say the wrong thing.
alarmed
frightened and worried that something bad might happen:
• She was alarmed at the thought of performing in front of an audience. • Alarmed passengers spotted fuel leaking from the plane.
fearful
formal frightened that something bad might happen:
• They are fearful of another terrorist attack. • He was fearful that he might make another mistake. • a fearful panic
very frightened
terrified
very frightened:
• He looked terrified as the plane took off. • James was absolutely terrified of losing his only child. • He dragged the terrified woman into his car.
petrified
very frightened – used especially when you are so frightened that you cannot think or move:
• She’s absolutely petrified of spiders.
scared stiff/scared to death
informal very frightened:
• I had to make a speech, and I was scared stiff. • She was scared to death of her father.
in terror
written if you do something in terror, you do it because you are very frightened:
• People fled in terror as the building went up in flames.
Longman-Thesaurus
2
general::
adj. VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound | become, get I got quite frigntened when he lost his temper. | remain ADV. badly, desperately, extremely, genuinely, really, terribly, very | thoroughly | almost | a bit, a little, pretty, quite, rather | suddenly | physically I felt frightened, physically frightened. PREP. about I was nervous and frightened about the future. | at Simon was badly frightened at the result of his action. | by Most of us are frightened by our emotions. | of I'm rather frightened of dogs. PHRASES frightened out of your wits, frightened to death (both informal) She was frightened to death when she saw her small daughter on the edge of the cliff.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary