Definition of AFRAID

Examples of afraid in a Sentence

Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago.

Recent Examples of afraid from the Web

For example, the paper notes, Putin once brought a black Lab to a meeting with Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, who’s afraid of dogs.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Reportedly Prepping for Putin Meeting With ‘Tweet-Length’ Briefings", 5 July 2017
And don’t be afraid to discuss your feelings and change your approach if things aren’t working.

— abby hayes, USA TODAY, "Pros and cons of sharing your finances as a married couple", 5 July 2017
Politicians were afraid the street protests of 2015 would escalate into riots.

— philip issa, The Seattle Times, "Lebanon sees tourism rebound as turmoil swallows region", 2 July 2017
A lot of people with those conditions are afraid to work out or start a program.

— daina saleh, Naperville Sun, "Down to Business: Medical practice goes far beyond just doctor visits", 30 June 2017
Barquero and his wife, Lucy, conduct weekly meetings by telephone with people who are afraid or unable to go to church.

— nomaan merchant, The Christian Science Monitor, "Texan pastors hold church services for immigrants afraid to leave their homes", 30 June 2017
Corral, who is being recruited primarily by assistant Tosh Lupoi, isn't afraid of competition.

— drew champlin, AL.com, "Why Alabama is in top 3 for elite 5-star QB Matt Corral", 29 June 2017
Detained, with no future, afraid of returning to Cuba.

— mario j. pentón, miamiherald, "Uncertainty whittles away hope for Cuban migrants stranded in Panama", 23 June 2017
Do your own research on checking accounts and credit cards, and don't be afraid to ask about fees and fine print.

— NBC News, "How College Students Can Avoid Overdraft and Late Fees", 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'afraid'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of afraid

Middle English affraied, from past participle of affraien to frighten — more at affray

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

afraid Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of afraid

fearful, apprehensive, afraid mean disturbed by fear. fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament. the child is fearful of loud noises apprehensive suggests a state of mind and implies a premonition of evil or danger. apprehensive of being found out afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance. afraid to speak the truth

afraid