fearful
Americanadjective
-
causing or apt to cause fear; frightening.
a fearful apparition.
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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.
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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
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causing fear; frightening
-
informal very unpleasant or annoying
a fearful cold
Other Word Forms
- fearfully adverb
- fearfulness noun
- unfearful adjective
Etymology
Origin of fearful
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ferful(l); 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.
It was Warren Buffett who said one should be greedy when others are fearful.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026
The prefrontal cortex helps guide decisions in fearful situations, while deeper areas such as the periaqueductal gray in the midbrain control responses like freezing or fleeing.
From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026
Meanwhile, the World Bank Managing Director Paschal Donohoe said he was fearful about the global economic impact of the crisis.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
For those who are allergic or may be fearful, Huw said the brand has always been as inclusive as possible.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
It was natural to think of these fearful creations as the children of Mother Earth, brought forth from her dark depths when the world was young.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
