fearful

adjective

fear·​ful ˈfir-fəl How to pronounce fearful (audio)
1
: causing or likely to cause fear, fright, or alarm especially because of dangerous quality
a fearful storm
2
a
: full of fear
fearful for his safety
b
: indicating or arising from fear
a fearful glance
c
: inclined to fear : timorous
3
: very great or bad
used as an intensive
a fearful waste
fearful slum conditions
fearfully adverb
fearfulness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for fearful

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

Examples of fearful in a Sentence

He plays the role of a timid and fearful clerk. They won the war but at a fearful cost.
Recent Examples on the Web Gauging popular opinion is difficult in authoritarian countries like Russia, where many are fearful of criticizing the Kremlin and the few independent polling organizations and think tanks operate under strict surveillance. Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The changes started slowly in the late 1970s and ’80s, before the arrival of the internet, as many parents in the U.S. grew fearful that their children would be harmed or abducted if left unsupervised. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, although Senegal recently changed its rape law to make the potential punishment more severe, women’s rights advocates say many women remain fearful of reporting. Andrei Popoviciu, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024 Statistics may not matter much to voters who are already fearful of crime, Van Riper said. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Financial regulators are keeping a close eye on midsize banks that shoulder the bulk of commercial real estate loans, fearful of a wave of defaults. Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 The couple was afraid of being separated and fearful of what this change could mean for Lucie, so the couple began making plans to escape by steamboat. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 9 Feb. 2024 The timing of these epidemics will be unpredictable…Our goal is simply to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy when others are fearful. Carmine Gallo, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Near the end of his speech, Farrakhan said that young Black Americans are no longer fearful of Israel as older Black leaders who support Israel. Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fearful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English feerful, fereful "inspiring dread, frightened," from fer fear entry 1 + -ful -ful entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fearful was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fearful

Cite this Entry

“Fearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fearful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fearful

adjective
fear·​ful ˈfi(ə)r-fəl How to pronounce fearful (audio)
1
: causing fear
the fearful roar of a lion
2
: filled with fear
fearful of danger
3
: showing or caused by fear
a fearful glance
4
: extremely bad, large, or intense
fearful cold
fearfully adverb
fearfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fearful

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