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
To Say Them Gen Alpha is much less afraid to articulate their feelings than Millennials.
—
Sarah Scott, Parents, 14 June 2026
Children are generally afraid of ghosts, so telling them to be scared of larger bodies is deeply problematic.
—Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Another factor to like with Suárez is that, with Pocono expected to be a strategy-heavy race, Sparks is not afraid to gamble.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 13 June 2026
By this time, Hockney, who was never afraid to experiment with technology, had begun creating art using an iPad.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Sarah Scott, Parents, 14 June 2026
Children are generally afraid of ghosts, so telling them to be scared of larger bodies is deeply problematic.
—Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Another factor to like with Suárez is that, with Pocono expected to be a strategy-heavy race, Sparks is not afraid to gamble.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 13 June 2026
By this time, Hockney, who was never afraid to experiment with technology, had begun creating art using an iPad.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afraid
Adjective
-
Children are generally afraid of ghosts, so telling them to be scared of larger bodies is deeply problematic.—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The two parties are now scared of their own voters.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Sour coffee with cream and rustling umbrellas and frightened tourists, impervious to death.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Dec. 2025
-
Deborah Gilmour Smyth leads the Backyard cast as Gladys with an incredible, tour de force performance that begins with joy, laughter and vivaciousness and gradually, over the course of two hours, moves toward frightened, childlike and submissive.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Because the road into Hunt was unpassable, the Childresses were forced into a monstrous kind of purgatory among other terrified parents at Ingram Elementary School.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
-
Her 9-year-old daughter was terrified.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Furthermore, Kalambay casts doubt on the idea that Ilunga was fearful for his own or his family’s life.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Some in the diaspora are fearful of being openly associated with one side or another of a bitter divide over the United States’ military action.—
Suhauna Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
His entry in the race quickly alarmed Republicans.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
-
And in a market where the prevailing press narrative has grown increasingly alarmed about private credit stress, the firm’s public positioning is notable—and worth scrutinizing.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Her shocked caregiver stares at her uncomprehendingly.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
By Friday morning, people visiting the Pacifica Municipal Pier seemed less shocked than ready to mourn.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
New Delhi, which has become increasingly worried about the safety of its seafarers during the US-Israeli war with Iran, has now urged Washington to halt strikes on shipping vessels.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
-
Anthropic is also worried that competitors could use Anthropic’s AI systems to turbocharge their own research — Anthropic uses its own AI systems to help create the next generation of its models.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Afraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afraid. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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