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afeard

or a·feared

[uh-feerd]
See more synonyms for afeard on Thesaurus.com
adjective British and Midland and Southern U.S.
  1. afraid.
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Origin of afeard

before 1000; Middle English afered, Old English āfǣred frightened (past participle of āfǣran). See a-3, fear, -ed2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for afeard

Historical Examples

  • No MacDermott was ever afeard to die, and I won't be the first to give in.

    The Foolish Lovers

    St. John G. Ervine

  • I told him it was no reason, because I was afeard of my life of you, that he should be.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • "I am afeard I am too troublesome to you, sir," said the boy.

  • Anybody'd think you were afeard of me, the hurry you're in to run away!

    Changing Winds

    St. John G. Ervine

  • "But sure what was the sense of bein' afeard of that," Hannah Went on.

    Changing Winds

    St. John G. Ervine

British Dictionary definitions for afeard

afeard

afeared

adjective
  1. (postpositive) an archaic or dialect word for afraid
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Word Origin

Old English āfǣred, from afǣran to frighten, from fǣran to fear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012