trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.
raised the subject with trepidation
Example Sentences
Noun Her eyes were wide with fright. people in our neighborhood think that that orange and green office building is a hideous frightVerb a ghastly sight that would fright even the most stouthearted soul
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
SeaWorld Orlando has released more spooky little details about its 2022 edition of Howl-O-Scream, including a brief description of one of its haunted houses for its Halloween fright fest. Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2022 But decades of research show that fright-inducing content does not affect all children the same way. Erica Scharrer, The Conversation, 18 July 2022 Olivia Cooke, one of the stars of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, will star in Breeders, a horror project just acquired by Lionsgate that will mark the feature directorial debut of rising fright filmmaker Kelsey Bollig. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 June 2022 For those who like to mull over movies (and aren't too susceptible to nightmares) a slow-burn kind of fright is far more satisfying. Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 22 June 2022 The fright fest also will include five scare zones, which have yet been indentified, and two live shows, which also have not been revealed. Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2022 And to pull back the film’s own Pennywisian mask of derivative fright-making is to find nothing much underneath. A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2022 He was knocked out and remembers coming to and getting a fright as people were grabbing at him. Charmaine Patterson, PEOPLE.com, 14 June 2022 Instead, Kavanaugh has become the plastic skeleton in the Judiciary Committee’s closet that gets dragged out for one too many holidays — a mascot more than a fright.Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, going back to Old English fyrhtu, fyrtho, fryhto (Northumbrian) "fear, dread, source of dread," going back to Germanic *furhtīn- (whence also Gothic faurhtei), noun derivative of *furhta- "frightened, fearful" (whence Old English forht "frightened," Old Saxon foraht, foroht, Old High German forht, foraht, Gothic faurhts), probably going back to Indo-European *pr̥k-to-, adjective from a verbal base *pr̥k-, whence also Tocharian A & B pärsk- "be afraid" (going back to *pr̥k-sk-)
Note: Germanic nouns derived directly from the adjective include Old Frisian fruchte "fear," Old Saxon forhta, Old High German forahta. Indo-European *p(e)rk- is taken by some to be a "root extension" of a hypothetical base *per- "test, risk," which would connect it to fear entry 1; see note at peril entry 1.
Verb
Middle English frighten, going back to Old English fyrhtan, going back to Germanic *furhtjan- (whence also Old Saxon forhtian "to fear, shy away from," Old High German forahten, furhten, Gothic faurhtjan), verbal derivative of *furhta- "frightened, fearful" — more at fright entry 1
Note: The causative meaning of the Old English verb is not reflected in the other Germanic forms; Old English also has a weak verb of a different class, forhtian "to fear, be afraid."
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of fright was before the 12th century