fearful

adjective

fear·​ful ˈfir-fəl 

1

: causing or likely to cause fear, fright, or alarm especially because of dangerous quality

a fearful storm

2

a

: full of fear

fearful for his safety

b

: indicating or arising from fear

a fearful glance

c

: inclined to fear : timorous

3

: very great or bad

—used as an intensive

a fearful waste

fearful slum conditions

fearfully

ˈfir-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

fearfulness

ˈfir-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• alarming
• dire
• direful
• dread
• dreadful
• fearsome
• forbidding
• formidable
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• hair-raising
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrifying
• intimidating
• redoubtable
• scary
• shocking
• spine-chilling
• terrible
• terrifying

Choose the Right Synonym for fearful

fearful, apprehensive, afraid mean disturbed by fear.

fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament.

the child is fearful of loud noises

apprehensive suggests a state of mind and implies a premonition of evil or danger.

apprehensive of being found out

afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance.

afraid to speak the truth

Examples of fearful in a Sentence

He plays the role of a timid and fearful clerk.

They won the war but at a fearful cost.

Recent Examples on the Web

And, while my cat scurried away at the sound of the spray bottle, this probably won’t be true of all cats, so the application process may be even easier for less fearful felines. —Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024

Last year, Ford announced a plan to manufacture electric-vehicle batteries in a new Michigan factory using Chinese technology, raising a storm of protest from lawmakers fearful that the deal would bolster China’s position in a key industry. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2024

Others are fearful of government registries and erosion of Second Amendment rights. —Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024

Throughout the campaign, immigrant residents voiced concerns over having contact with police, fearful the interactions would result in their families being separated by ICE. —Madison Lambert, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024

On that day, many of the thermally fearful may have lost interest in quarreling over whether spring had truly established itself among us. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024

Is Putin popular in Russia? Truly gauging popular opinion is notoriously difficult in Russia, where the few independent think tanks operate under strict surveillance and where, even in a legitimate survey, many Russians are fearful of criticizing the Kremlin. —Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024

And so a lot of people are fearful that that will happen, and, as a result, many, many people have left and gone either north toward Deir al-Balah or have gone by the coast. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024

Marilyn Rodriguez spoke against the bill on behalf of the ACLU of Arizona at a hearing last week, saying the bill would not prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content and would instead make adults fearful of using pornography sites. —The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English feerful, fereful "inspiring dread, frightened," from fer fear entry 1 + -ful -ful entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fearful

adjective

fear·​ful ˈfi(ə)r-fəl 

1

: causing fear

the fearful roar of a lion

2

: filled with fear

fearful of danger

3

: showing or caused by fear

a fearful glance

4

: extremely bad, large, or intense

fearful cold

fearfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

fearfulness noun