affright

1 of 2

verb

af·fright ə-ˈfrīt

affrighted; affrighting; affrights

Synonyms of affright next

transitive verb

archaic

: frighten, alarm

affright

2 of 2

Examples of affright in a Sentence

Verb a ghastly sight that would affright any person

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English afrighten, probably derivative of afright, afyrht (12th century) "frightened," going back to Old English āfyrht, past participle of āfyrhtan "to frighten," from ā-, perfective prefix + fyrhtan "to frighten" — more at abide, fright entry 2

Noun

derivative of affright entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of affright was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Affright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affright. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

affright

verb

af·fright

ə-ˈfrīt

archaic

: frighten sense 1, alarm

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

paroxysm

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

affright

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of affright in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near affright

Cite this Entry