fearful

[feer-fuhl]

adjective

1. causing or apt to cause fear; frightening.

   a fearful apparition.

2. feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude.

   fearful for his life.

   Synonyms: worried, concerned, anxious, solicitous, distrustful, uneasy, apprehensive, timorous, timid, afraid

3. full of awe or reverence.

   fearful of the Lord.

4. showing or caused by fear.

   fearful behavior exhibited by dogs in the animal shelter.

5. extreme in size, intensity, or badness: fearful poverty.

   a fearful head cold;

   fearful poverty.

fearful

/ ˈfɪəfʊl /

adjective

1. having fear; afraid

2. causing fear; frightening

3. informal,  very unpleasant or annoying

   a fearful cold

Other Word Forms

• fearfully adverb
• fearfulness noun
• unfearful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fearful¹

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

Example Sentences

While luxe vacations and private schooling give children clues that they are wealthy, many families don’t share their true net worths, fearful of spoiling them or dimming their motivation to earn.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She said she was fearful of the idea of driving more than 30 miles for healthcare elsewhere.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But investors have grown increasingly fearful that the vast sums pumped into the sector may have been overdone and could take some time to see profits realised, leading to warnings of a possible market correction.

Read more on Barron's

"We're fearful, every time it rains it's like a river down here. My wife is on edge, she's not sleeping."

Read more on BBC

Even though he is just fishing, he is now fearful because of the ongoing strikes.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• afraid 
• agitated 
• anxious 
• frightened 
• hesitant 
• jittery 
• nervous 
• panicky www.thesaurus.com
• scared 
• shy 
• skittish 
• tense 
• timid 
• uneasy