FEARED Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

feared

verb

Definition of feared next

past tense of fear

as in worried

to experience concern or anxiety her friends feared that she was dating a guy who was all wrong for her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of feared Once feared, Cyrus now spends more time tending his herb garden than terrorizing the local village. —

Angelina Mazza, Vulture, 19 June 2026 Investors and founders alike feared that a new army of AI agents was about to eat everybody’s lunch. —

Carl Fritjofsson, Fortune, 19 June 2026 Foreign policy experts on Capitol Hill could have cautioned him what his own people either didn’t know or feared to say about Iran’s potential chokehold on a third of the world’s oil supply. —

Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2026 In 1980, Uncanny X-Men was one of the most influential comics at Marvel, attracting readers with its stories of heroes shunned by society, yet willing to don costumes and save a world that hated and feared them. —

Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for feared

Recent Examples of Synonyms for feared

worried

Verb

But local opposition has been rising too, with communities worried about the power and water demands of the centers, as well as any potential health effects.

— Asia Alexander, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
People who worried that recycling or reselling a device would compromise their data were 14% and 9% more likely to store it instead.

— Eric Williams, The Conversation, 18 June 2026