fearful

[ feer-fuhl ]

adjective

1. causing or apt to cause fear; frightening:

   a fearful apparition.

2. feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude:

   fearful for his life.

   Synonyms: worried, concerned, anxious, solicitous, distrustful, uneasy, apprehensive, timorous, timid, afraid

3. full of awe or reverence:

   fearful of the Lord.

4. showing or caused by fear:

   fearful behavior exhibited by dogs in the animal shelter.

5. extreme in size, intensity, or badness: fearful poverty.

   a fearful head cold;

   fearful poverty.

fearful

/ ˈfɪəfʊl /

adjective

1. having fear; afraid
2. causing fear; frightening
3. informal.
   very unpleasant or annoying

   a fearful cold

Derived Forms

• ˈfearfulness, noun

Other Words From

• fear·ful·ly adverb
• fear·ful·ness noun
• un·fear·ful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fearful¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ferful(l); fear, -ful

Example Sentences

He now tries to avoid supermarkets, with the incident leaving him feeling "anxious and fearful".

From BBC

“When voters are frustrated, when voters are fearful, criminal justice reform is an easy target to exploit that fear and frustration,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

As a child, he’d been diagnosed with a scarred kidney — a condition that left him fearful of drinking.

From Los Angeles Times

“I want people to feel secure that they can go to any voting location and not be intimidated or fearful that anything may happen,” Luna said.

From Los Angeles Times

Two accused me of being a “spy” for Mike Jeffries – initially fearful of his “money and clout”.

From BBC

Related Words

• afraid
• agitated
• anxious
• frightened
• hesitant
• jittery
• nervous
• panicky
• scared
• shy
• skittish
• tense
• timid
• uneasy