1
as in terrifying
causing fear
the fearful roar of a lion
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2
as in timid
easily frightened
the stray cat that we took in is still fearful, even around us
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3
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the fearful wind and cold simply made being outside a miserable experience
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fearful
Some American citizens have begun carrying their passports in Minneapolis, fearful that they'll be mistaken for undocumented immigrants and detained amid a surge of federal agents to the city.
—
Lana Zak, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Immigrants are ‘still very worried’ Many immigrant families are still fearful of leaving their homes, and Latino businesses are still closed, according to Daniel Hernandez, who owns the Minneapolis grocery store Colonial Market.
—Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
Offices that disclose the dog’s presence in advance and offer alternative appointments for allergic or fearful patients report few problems.
—Henry I. Miller, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
Roher finds plenty of other good reasons to be fearful.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearful
Lana Zak, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Immigrants are ‘still very worried’ Many immigrant families are still fearful of leaving their homes, and Latino businesses are still closed, according to Daniel Hernandez, who owns the Minneapolis grocery store Colonial Market.
—Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
Offices that disclose the dog’s presence in advance and offer alternative appointments for allergic or fearful patients report few problems.
—Henry I. Miller, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
Roher finds plenty of other good reasons to be fearful.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearful
Adjective
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After reviewing footage from monitoring cameras set up in the child’s room, the father, who has not been publicly identified, saw a terrifying incident of violence against his son, which had taken place two days earlier, according to authorities.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Many mothers in the Twin Cities marched the streets in the wake of the murders and terrifying kidnappings by ICE, and many mothers organized in other ways, moving food and money to food shelves, families sheltering-in-place, and rent relief funds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Harry Melling stars as a timid man who is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker (Skarsgård) takes him on as his submissive.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
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The siblings have different personalities, according to their keepers; Xiao Xiao is timid while his sister Lei Lei is fearless and adapts to changes quickly.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This looming impasse between baseball and its players’ union stands to make for some intense labor negotiations.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
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Corporate succession has been fraught at Disney — and the subject of intense speculation across Hollywood in recent years.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There’s no need to fret about sticking to a rigid routine (which is probably more practical with older kids), and your kids aren’t afraid to come up with new plans and ideas at the last minute.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
3 Feb. 2026
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In nondemocratic regimes, senior officials wall themselves off from reality because their underlings are afraid to deliver bad news.—
Donald Moynihan,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The bodycam video was an eye-opening look at the frightening aftermath of the Brown campus shooting when police were searching room-by-room for the suspect, trying to comfort and care for terrified students, and trying to coordinate with campus police to get past locked doors.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
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In 2017 Dikansh Parmar of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Germany, rescued an Indian cobra (Naja naja) coiled around a train’s window bars that was hissing and, understandably, frightening passengers.—
Richard Kemeny,
Scientific American,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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While neighboring vineyards resorted to grafting their vines onto pest-resistant American roots, DRC used various intensive strategies to keep its original European vines intact, at least until the 1940s.—
Pin Yen Tan 9 min ago,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The company later focused strictly on music supervision for music-intensive shows such as American Idol, to which Kaye contributed for more than 15 years.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And so if this gets replicated, if there’s a spreading of feelings of fear, the most vulnerable people will be frightened to turn out.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Both release a strong spray, or musk, when frightened.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The scariest jump in ice skating requires your shoulders, hips, knees and feet to be in perfect alignment.—
Kelly O'Grady,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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Range anxiety never sounded so scary.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearful. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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