The sudden eruption of the volcano frightened the nearby villagers, who quickly evacuated to higher ground as ash darkened the sky.
火山的突然喷发吓坏了附近的村民，他们迅速疏散到高地，灰烬使天空变暗。
Which choice best defines “frighten”?
A — To make someone afraid or anxious. “frighten” means to make someone afraid or anxious.
Which word means “to make someone afraid or anxious”?
D — frighten. “frighten” means to make someone afraid or anxious.
frighten — to make someone afraid or anxious. In Chinese: 使害怕.
frighten is pronounced /ˈfraɪtn/.
The sudden eruption of the volcano frightened the nearby villagers, who quickly evacuated to higher ground as ash darkened the sky. (火山的突然喷发吓坏了附近的村民，他们迅速疏散到高地，灰烬使天空变暗。)
scare, alarm, terrify — all close in meaning to frighten (to make someone afraid or anxious).
reassure, comfort — each the opposite of frighten (to make someone afraid or anxious).
Yes. frighten is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.