afraid
[ uh-freyd ]
/ əˈfreɪd /
adjective
feeling fear; filled with apprehension: afraid to go.
feeling regret, unhappiness, or the like: I'm afraid we can't go on Monday.
feeling reluctance, unwillingness, distaste, or the like: He seemed afraid to show his own children a little kindness.
Words nearby afraid
afp, afr, afr-, afr., afraes, afraid, afraid of one's own shadow, aframerican, afrasia, afrasian, afreet
Origin of afraid
variant spelling of affrayed, past participle of affray to disturb, frighten
SYNONYMS FOR afraid
OTHER WORDS FROM afraid
half-a·fraid, adjectiveun·a·fraid, adjectivesynonym study for afraid
1. Afraid, alarmed, frightened, terrified all indicate a state of fear. Afraid implies inner apprehensive disquiet: afraid of the dark. Alarmed implies that the feelings are aroused through realization of some imminent or unexpected danger to oneself or others: alarmed by (or about ) someone's illness. Frightened means shocked with sudden, but usually short-lived, fear, especially that arising from apprehension of physical harm: frightened by an accident. Terrified suggests the emotional reaction when one is struck with a violent, overwhelming fear: terrified by an earthquake.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for afraid
British Dictionary definitions for afraid
afraid
/ (əˈfreɪd) /
adjective (postpositive)
(often foll by of) feeling fear or apprehension; frightenedhe was afraid of cats
reluctant (to do something), as through fear or timidityhe was afraid to let himself go
(often foll by that; used to lessen the effect of an unpleasant statement) regretfulI'm afraid that I shall have to tell you to go
Word Origin for afraid
C14: affraied, past participle of affray (to frighten)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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