as in scared
filled with fear or dread
Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of afraid
Marie-Paule should not have been afraid of me.
—
Annie Ernaux, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Daredevil isn’t afraid to maim people.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Brown, black, and tan are classic choices, but don’t be afraid to branch out with a juicy color or playful print.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 31 May 2026
The trick to their success, regardless of the brand partner, is that Ng and Brain Dead aren’t afraid to nerd out on topics and get weird.
—Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Annie Ernaux, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Daredevil isn’t afraid to maim people.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Brown, black, and tan are classic choices, but don’t be afraid to branch out with a juicy color or playful print.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 31 May 2026
The trick to their success, regardless of the brand partner, is that Ng and Brain Dead aren’t afraid to nerd out on topics and get weird.
—Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afraid
Adjective
-
Essentially, for all of the offense’s success during a surprising 2025 season, defenses still weren’t scared of the Patriots.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
-
The exchanges, which take place at the children’s school in Southern California, leave her scared and depressed for days.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The frightened cat curled up along the shoulder of the freeway when it was seen, according to the Michigan Humane.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
-
The Americans in that Nebraska unit are isolated and frightened.—
Craig Spencer,
STAT,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the mid-2000s, people across America watched a man in a trench coat hand a chat-log transcript to a terrified suspect holding a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Three men in Hawaii were killed within 48 hours, leaving devastated families in mourning and a terrified community on edge as police hunt for the suspect.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Carpenter says the disturbing encounters left her fearful for her safety and that of relatives living with her, as police label the suspect’s fixation irrational and increasingly dangerous.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
At the time, the diagnosis was much more taboo, discussed only with hushed, fearful voices.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Bowers told Vuong, who called the business and legal division while Bowers sent screeners to the horrified standards and practices department of the famously conservative broadcast network.—
Anna Peele,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
As part of that crackdown, the FBI in January seized the electronic devices of a Washington Post reporter, a move that alarmed media organizations and advocates of press freedom.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
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Maritime users were particularly alarmed because the location data feature could counter GPS spoofing and jamming that have been occurring in waters in the Middle East, allowing boats to safely navigate despite electronic signal interference.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
People are often shocked to hear that Nixon froze the rent as part of his 1971 price controls.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
2 June 2026
-
Back in north London, there was an initial shocked silence from the 35,000 watching the shootout at the Emirates Stadium, which was immediately followed by applause for their ‘King of Brazil’.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Some worried they might be deported and separated from their families and have even considered leaving the area or the country to avoid deportation.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
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Lopez isn't worried about meeting someone new.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Afraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afraid. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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