1
as in terrifying
causing fear
the fearful roar of a lion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in timid
easily frightened
the stray cat that we took in is still fearful, even around us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the fearful wind and cold simply made being outside a miserable experience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in afraid
filled with fear or dread
fearful of venturing out onto the dark highway, the stranded motorist decided to wait in the car for help
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 fearful
Too many people too ashamed, suspicious, or fearful to speak.
—
Martin McKenzie-Murray, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
Some are now fearful Republicans are beginning to try to weaponize that small-dollar model against them, further stifling their ascent.
—Hanna Trudo, The Hill, 2 Jan. 2025
Today’s Paper | Subscribe Our Coverage of the Middle East Crisis
Israel’s Bombing Rules: Surprised by Oct. 7 and fearful of another attack, Israel weakened safeguards meant to protect noncombatants, allowing officers to endanger up to 20 people in each airstrike.
—Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Ronan Farrow described how this narrative held power for more than 20 years, largely because media outlets, fearful of Allen’s power in the industry, didn’t want to consider his sister’s side of the story.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fearful 
Martin McKenzie-Murray, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
Some are now fearful Republicans are beginning to try to weaponize that small-dollar model against them, further stifling their ascent.
—Hanna Trudo, The Hill, 2 Jan. 2025
Today’s Paper | Subscribe Our Coverage of the Middle East Crisis
Israel’s Bombing Rules: Surprised by Oct. 7 and fearful of another attack, Israel weakened safeguards meant to protect noncombatants, allowing officers to endanger up to 20 people in each airstrike.
—Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Ronan Farrow described how this narrative held power for more than 20 years, largely because media outlets, fearful of Allen’s power in the industry, didn’t want to consider his sister’s side of the story.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearful
Adjective
-
The stability and flexibility around Josh Allen makes for a terrifying formula.Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
-
What’s more terrifying than losing control of your physical and mental self as your most primal, animalistic instincts take the wheel?David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
From Dickinson to Colton Dach, who was making his NHL debut, to Nolan Allan and much of the lineup, the Blackhawks weren’t timid.Scott Powers, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
-
Usually, a player who has been injured for that long will come in and be timid and not want to do anything too crazy.Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
In 2021, a storm killed over 240 people and left millions of residents without power sparking intense backlash for ERCOT.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Flames were pushed by intense wind gusts that officials had warned could fuel any spark into a fast-moving and erratic wildfire.Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
In need of a way to raise funds, but afraid of the political consequences of implementing new taxes, state lawmakers opted to experiment with a lottery.Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
-
Some children might regress to an earlier stage of development, becoming afraid of going to school and leaving their parents.Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The glorious few who still worry about the decline of Palm Beach society speculated wildly that Trump was planning to legalize gambling and build a casino, or — the truly frightening possibility — subdivide his acreage and sell houses.Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
-
In a cast full of mothers, the women are naturally sympathetic, triggered by the idea that something that frightening could happen to them too – only to be a little flummoxed at the full picture as more details started to come out.Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Which sounds kind of nerdy and scary simultaneously.Davey Winder, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
-
This is extremely frustrating, painful, and scary, but these alert tools have saved lives during this emergency.Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Although Altman didn’t explicitly say why the company is losing money, running AI models is very cost intensive, requiring investments in data centers and electricity to provide the necessary computing power.Tharin Pillay, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
-
At present, nitrogen fixation—the chemical process required to produce ammonia from nitrogen gas—is hugely energy intensive, accounting for as much as two percent of the world’s annual energy budget.Charina Chou, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
For the 34th time in two years cops have been called by frightened neighbors or Hollis herself to quell the volcanic quarrels inside Peppermill Apartments unit B-312.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
-
My friends were confused by my abrupt stop and the frightened and befuddled look on my face — except for one, whose eyes were also bulging wide.Thomas Wheatley, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near fearful
Cite this Entry
“Fearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearful. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share