Feeling Wheel
What feeling frightened is like
Frightened is fear of a specific danger, like a noise in the night, a near miss on the road or a threatening person. It's often sudden and sharp.
Frightened or scared?
Frightened is a sharp fear of a real danger. Scared is the everyday word that covers fears of every size. Read more about feeling scared.
Finding frightened on the feelings wheel
On the Feeling Wheel, frightened sits in the Afraid group. Start in the middle of the wheel with afraid, then move outwards to frightened. If it's close but not quite right, the other afraid words below may fit better. It's also normal to feel more than one thing at once.
Other words in the Afraid group
Afraid words cover the whole range of fear, from a flicker of doubt to real danger.
- Scared Feeling frightened
- Shocked Feeling sudden and intense surprise
- Anxious Feeling worried or uneasy
- Nervous Feeling uneasy about something uncertain
- Helpless Feeling unable to act or protect yourself
- Worried Feeling troubled by real or potential problems
- Threatened Feeling in danger or at risk
- Hesitant Feeling unsure or slow to act
- Horrified Feeling extreme shock or disgust
- Cautious Feeling careful to avoid problems or danger
- Doubtful Feeling uncertain about something
- Exposed Feeling vulnerable or unprotected
Name what you're feeling
Feeling Wheel puts all 118 of these words on one wheel. Tap the ones that fit, add a note if you like, and see your patterns over time. Free on iPhone and Android.