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fearful

[ feer-fuhl ]
/ ˈfɪər fəl /
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See synonyms for: fearful / fearfully / fearfulness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
causing or apt to cause fear; frightening: a fearful apparition.
feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude: fearful for his life.
full of awe or reverence: fearful of the Lord.
showing or caused by fear: fearful behavior exhibited by dogs in the animal shelter.
extreme in size, intensity, or badness: a fearful head cold; fearful poverty.
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Origin of fearful

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ferful(l); see origin at fear, -ful

OTHER WORDS FROM fearful

fear·ful·ly, adverbfear·ful·ness, nounun·fear·ful, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH fearful

fearful , fearsome

Words nearby fearful

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fearful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fearful

fearful
/ (ˈfɪəfʊl) /

adjective
having fear; afraid
causing fear; frightening
informal very unpleasant or annoyinga fearful cold

Derived forms of fearful

fearfulness, noun
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
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