fearful
Americanadjective
-
causing or apt to cause fear; frightening.
a fearful apparition.
-
feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude.
fearful for his life.
- Synonyms:
- worried, concerned, anxious, solicitous, distrustful, uneasy, apprehensive, timorous, timid, afraid
-
full of awe or reverence.
fearful of the Lord.
-
showing or caused by fear.
fearful behavior exhibited by dogs in the animal shelter.
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extreme in size, intensity, or badness: fearful poverty.
a fearful head cold;
fearful poverty.
adjective
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having fear; afraid
-
causing fear; frightening
-
informal very unpleasant or annoying
a fearful cold
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of fearful
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ferful(l); see origin at fear, -ful
Explanation
If you're fearful, you're afraid of something. A kid who's fearful around dogs might cry or run away when sees even a small puppy. To be fearful is, literally, to be full of fear. You can also use this adjective to describe the thing that scares you: "I lay awake all night listening to the fearful creaks of the old house around me." Some people are always fearful — it's just part of who they are — while others are only fearful in certain instances. You might be fearful on airplanes but fearless when riding a horse.
Vocabulary lists containing fearful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His mother, fearful for her youngest son, pleaded with him to flee the country.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Perhaps this data center battle, then, was just the tipping point for widely frustrated and fearful Utahns.
From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026
"Many of them have been here for decades, paying taxes for decades," she added, condemning "a fearful and hostile environment across the country, and not only for the World Cup but every single day".
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
"We were fearful we were going to reduce it so much we could have been left with a £10k bill," she said.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
With Eilonwy at his heels, he ran to the tree, fearful the fatigue and strain of the day had at last driven the dwarf out of his wits.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
