definitions

fearful

[ feer-fuhl ]
/ ˈfɪər fəl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fearful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

causing or apt to cause fear; frightening: a fearful apparition.
feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude: fearful for his life; fearful lest he commit suicide.
full of awe or reverence: fearful of the Lord.
showing or caused by fear: fearful behavior.
extreme in size, intensity, or badness: a fearful head cold; fearful poverty.

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RELATED WORDS

nervously, timidly, apprehensively, diffidently, shyly, awfully, excessively, frightfully

Nearby words

fe., feal, fealty, fear, feared, fearful, fearfully, fearless, fearnought, fearsome, feasance

Origin of fearful

First recorded in 1300–50, fearful is from the Middle English word ferful. See fear, -ful

Related forms

Can be confused

fearful fearsome
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fearfully

British Dictionary definitions for fearfully (1 of 2)

fearfully

/ (ˈfɪəfʊlɪ) /

adverb

in a fearful manner
(intensifier)you're fearfully kind

British Dictionary definitions for fearfully (2 of 2)

fearful

/ (ˈfɪəfʊl) /

adjective

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

Derived Forms

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