Synonyms of fearful

fearful

adjective

ˈfir-fəl 

1

as in terrifying

causing fear

the fearful roar of a lion

Synonyms & Similar Words

• terrifying
• frightening
• scary
• formidable
• horrible
• terrible
• intimidating
• dread
• alarming
• shocking
• horrifying
• dreadful
• startling
• frightful
• eerie
• creepy
• fearsome
• forbidding
• ghastly
• dire
• threatening
• troubling
• trying
• direful
• redoubtable
• gruesome
• disturbing
• horrendous
• discouraging
• spine-chilling
• unnerving
• hair-raising
• daunting
• disconcerting
• demoralizing
• disquieting
• perturbing
• distressing
• weird
• hideous
• dismaying
• nightmarish
• appalling
• awful
• horrid
• monstrous
• grisly
• macabre
• bone-chilling
• atrocious

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassuring
• comforting
• relaxing
• soothing
• inviting
• calming
• consoling
• tranquilizing
• quieting
• nonthreatening
• lulling
• pacifying
• nonintimidating

2

as in timid

easily frightened

the stray cat that we took in is still fearful, even around us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• timid
• scary
• shy
• scared
• terrified
• afraid
• timorous
• tremulous
• fainthearted
• panicked
• mousy
• fearsome
• skittish
• yellow
• startled
• apprehensive
• anxious
• cowardly
• craven
• pusillanimous
• nervous
• alarmed
• gutless
• unheroic
• dastardly
• panicky
• jittery
• horrified
• spooked
• jumpy
• spineless
• spooky
• chicken
• chickenhearted
• unnerved
• shocked
• lily-livered
• poltroon
• milk-livered
• panic-stricken
• chicken-livered
• terrorized

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• daring
• adventurous
• bold
• brave
• fearless
• hardy
• courageous
• audacious
• confident
• venturesome
• heroic
• gutsy
• valiant
• undaunted
• intrepid
• dauntless
• dashing
• gallant
• stout
• valorous
• stalwart
• venturous
• adventuresome
• assured
• resolute
• determined
• firm
• stouthearted
• unflinching
• undeterred
• spirited
• unswerving
• game
• greathearted
• doughty
• plucky
• lionhearted
• self-confident
• self-assured
• spunky
• mettlesome

3

as in intense

extreme in degree, power, or effect

the fearful wind and cold simply made being outside a miserable experience

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intense
• intensive
• fierce
• ferocious
• terrible
• furious
• deep
• violent
• heavy
• vicious
• profound
• acute
• dreadful
• frightful
• fearsome
• explosive
• ghastly
• vehement
• keen
• excruciating
• exquisite
• hard
• blistering
• intensified
• almighty
• harsh
• aggravated
• heavy-duty
• heightened
• hellacious
• concentrated
• stressed
• severe
• magnified
• enhanced
• thorough
• accentuated
• deepened
• emphasized
• exhaustive
• rigorous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• moderate
• weak
• soft
• feeble
• superficial
• shallow
• qualified
• eased
• decreased
• subdued
• diminished
• toned (down)
• moderated
• reduced
• lightened
• alleviated
• lessened
• abated

4

as in afraid

filled with fear or dread

fearful of venturing out onto the dark highway, the stranded motorist decided to wait in the car for help

Synonyms & Similar Words

• afraid
• frightened
• terrified
• scared
• horrified
• alarmed
• shocked
• worried
• aghast
• spooked
• upset
• affrighted
• startled
• scary
• nervous
• anxious
• panicked
• apprehensive
• hysterical
• timid
• terrorized
• horror-struck
• appalled
• panicky
• timorous
• disturbed
• agitated
• wary
• phobic
• perturbed
• shrinking
• disquieted
• tremulous
• uneasy
• fainthearted
• jittery
• cautious
• fearsome
• disconcerted
• jumpy
• shy
• panic-stricken
• intimidated
• dismayed
• coward
• cowardly
• unnerved
• cowed
• skittish
• daunted
• careful
• craven
• pusillanimous
• funky
• chicken
• gutless
• unadventurous
• heedful
• tremulant
• prudent
• lily-livered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fearless
• unafraid
• daring
• adventurous
• spirited
• bold
• brave
• audacious
• courageous
• venturesome
• confident
• heroic
• gutsy
• plucky
• daredevil
• valiant
• spunky
• sure
• hardy
• intrepid
• dashing
• gallant
• valorous
• stout
• sanguine
• venturous
• stalwart
• adventuresome
• composed
• collected
• unperturbed
• assured
• cool
• resolute
• undaunted
• dauntless
• stouthearted
• manful
• lionhearted

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fearful different from other adjectives like it?

The words afraid and apprehensive are common synonyms of fearful. While all three words mean "disturbed by fear," fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament.

the child is fearful of loud noises

When can afraid be used instead of fearful?

While the synonyms afraid and fearful are close in meaning, afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance.

afraid to speak the truth

When is it sensible to use apprehensive instead of fearful?

The synonyms apprehensive and fearful are sometimes interchangeable, but apprehensive suggests a state of mind and implies a premonition of evil or danger.

apprehensive of being found out

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fearful

Some have encouraged online attendance, while others have offered help doing errands such as grocery shopping for people too fearful to leave their homes. — Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

Many are fearful of being out in places with heightened law enforcement or even sending their children to school. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026

Unlike some of his peers, Tao is neither dismissive of AI nor fearful. — Benjamin Skuse, IEEE Spectrum, 25 June 2026

This finding specifically held true for people with fearful and preoccupied attachment styles, two subtypes of insecure attachment associated with a craving for intimacy but, respectively, a deep fear of it or a fear of rejection and abandonment. — Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 20 June 2026