AFRAID Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'afraid' different from other adjectives like it?

The words apprehensive and fearful are common synonyms of afraid . While all three words mean "disturbed by fear," afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance. // afraid to speak the truth

Q: When is it sensible to use 'apprehensive' instead of 'afraid'?

The words apprehensive and afraid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, apprehensive suggests a state of mind and implies a premonition of evil or danger. // apprehensive of being found out

Q: When can 'fearful' be used instead of 'afraid'?

The meanings of fearful and afraid largely overlap; however, fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament. // the child is fearful of loud noises

afraid

adjective

ə-ˈfrād

Definition of afraid next

as in scared

filled with fear or dread Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word afraid different from other adjectives like it?

The words apprehensive and fearful are common synonyms of afraid. While all three words mean "disturbed by fear," afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance.

afraid to speak the truth

When is it sensible to use apprehensive instead of afraid?

The words apprehensive and afraid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, apprehensive suggests a state of mind and implies a premonition of evil or danger.

apprehensive of being found out

When can fearful be used instead of afraid?

The meanings of fearful and afraid largely overlap; however, fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament.

the child is fearful of loud noises

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of afraid Don't be afraid to explore different options and find what works best for you. —

Anya Meyerowitz, Glamour, 12 Dec. 2024 And too many state legislatures, flush with corporate influence and afraid of federal overreach, ran screaming in the other direction. —

Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024 Don’t be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone. —

Valerie Mesa, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024 So don’t be afraid of the moments where life asks you to step down from the seat of the teacher and into the seat of a student again. —

Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for afraid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for afraid

Adjective

That evening, in the no man’s land, a field strewn with empty water bottles, four Shia families sat on a picnic blanket around a burner attached to a gas tank, looking scared and drinking yerba mate.

Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2024
Once glued to their hiding spot, a scared cat may not come out when called by its owner.

Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024