fright

CEFRB1

/fɹaɪt/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden feeling of fear or alarm.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Someone strange, ugly or shocking, producing a feeling of alarm or aversion.

Examples

  • Helen jumped in fright at the strange sound.

  • Such was her fright that she closed her eyes.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /fɹʌit/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To frighten.

  2. A state of terror excited by the sudden appearance of danger; sudden and violent fear, usually of short duration; a sudden alarm.

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. frightened; afraid; affright

More examples

In context

  • Her maids were old, and if she took a new one, You might be sure she was a perfect fright; She did this during even her husband's life I recommend as much to every wife.

  • With a bolt of fright he remembered that there was no bathroom in the Hobhouse Room. He leapt along the corridor in a panic, stopping by the long-case clock at the end where he flattened himself against the wall.

  • Don't be fright, it is not so impossible as it seems.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The loud noise gave me a sudden blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English fright, furht, from Old English fryhtu, fyrhto (“fright, fear, dread, trembling, horrible sight”), from Proto-Germanic *furhtį̄ (“fear”), from Proto-Indo-European *pr̥k- (“to fear”). Cognate with Scots fricht (“fright”), Old Frisian fruchte (“fright”), Low German frucht (“fright”), Middle Dutch vrucht, German Furcht (“fear, fright”), Danish frygt (“fear”), Swedish fruktan (“fear, fright, dread”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐌴𐌹 (faurhtei, “fear, horror, fright”). Compare possibly Albanian frikë (“fear, fright, dread, danger”).