Panic and Affright

panic

An overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety.
- synonyms: terror, affright
Sudden mass fear and anxiety over anticipated events.
- usage: "panic in the stock market"; "a war scare"; "a bomb scare led them to evacuate the building"
- synonyms: scare

Be overcome by a sudden fear.
- usage: "The students panicked when told that final exams were less than a week away"
Cause sudden fear in or fill with sudden panic.
- usage: "The mere thought of an isolation cell panicked the prisoners"

(a.) By extension: A sudden widespread fright or apprehension concerning financial affairs.
(a.) A sudden, overpowering fright; especially, a sudden and groundless fright; terror inspired by a trifling cause or a misapprehension of danger; as, the troops were seized with a panic; they fled in a panic.
(a.) Extreme or sudden and causeless; unreasonable; -- said of fear or fright; as, panic fear, terror, alarm.
(n.) A plant of the genus Panicum; panic grass; also, the edible grain of some species of panic grass.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

affright

Cause fear in.
- usage: "The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me"; "Ghosts could never affright her"
- synonyms: frighten, fright, scare

(p.a.) Affrighted.
(v.t.) To impress with sudden fear; to frighten; to alarm.
(n.) Sudden and great fear; terror. It expresses a stronger impression than fear or apprehension, perhaps less than terror.
(n.) The act of frightening; also, a cause of terror; an object of dread.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary