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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of afraid
The frequently cheering crowd also wasn't afraid to turn on one of their own speakers briefly with boos.
—
Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Amezcua, the mayor, said the raids have complicated local policing and rendered parents afraid to pick up their children from school.
—J. David McSwane, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
Isolated and afraid, Jan believed the story.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Kylie Jenner is not afraid to bare it all.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Amezcua, the mayor, said the raids have complicated local policing and rendered parents afraid to pick up their children from school.
—J. David McSwane, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
Isolated and afraid, Jan believed the story.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Kylie Jenner is not afraid to bare it all.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afraid
Adjective
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Continue reading … 'DISGUSTING' – Jen Psaki jokes Usha Vance scared of her husband, ripped for 'disgusting' comments.—
,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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The opening sequence — involving a scared little boy whose fear only accelerates during a nightmarish car ride — is a decent bellwether for the first five episodes (which is all that were screened for critics, of the eight total).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Her parents were opposed to the Russian occupation but too frightened to talk about it.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
19 Oct. 2025
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That included an incident in a press box at Yankee Stadium in 2013, when a frightened and fractured Kay had to be brought back to a team hotel, or an incident at the offices at Angel Stadium on Easter Day in 2019 when a sweating and erratic Kay was taken home and then hospitalized.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At the same time, completely terrified and anxious.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
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In May 2023, a homeowner in Spokane, Washington, was left terrified after two large moose appeared outside their home.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These are not the words of a Premier League cheerleader, or indeed of someone fearful that English football will be left behind if La Liga and Serie A get their way.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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This hesitancy is common, Travers said, because people may be fearful of being judged or of having their trauma follow them later in life.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The press has been deluged with letters from horrified subscribers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
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The horrified screams of Franklin’s children were also caught on the 911 recording.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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However, its minimal restrictions have alarmed lawyers, researchers, and public figures.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
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The actor remembered that paramedics became alarmed after checking his vital signs, and he was rushed to the nearest hospital.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The shocked look on Byrne’s face, captured in one take, is genuine.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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Lewis and Picardo collapsed into tears, and Candy’s family was shocked.—
Makena Gera,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Emma Donoghue’s Room, which continues to haunt worried parents everywhere?—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
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There also are those worried about player and staff safety as rowdy revelers stomp onto the field.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afraid. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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