afraid

afraid
afraid [ə frād′]
adj.
[ME affraied, pp. of affraien, AFFRAY]
feeling fear; frightened; apprehensive: followed by of, that, or an infinitive: often used informally to indicate regret [I'm afraid I can't go]
SYN.- AFRAID is applied to a general feeling of fear or disquiet and is the broadest in application of all the words considered here [to be afraid of the dark, to be afraid to die ]; FRIGHTENED implies a sudden, usually temporary seizure of fear [ the child was frightened by the dog ]; TIMID implies a lack of courage or self-confidence and suggests overcautiousness or shyness [too timid to ask for an explanation ]; TIMOROUS and FEARFUL suggest a feeling of disquiet and a tendency to worry rather than an alarming fear [fearful of making an error ]; TERRIFIED implies intense, overwhelming fear [he stood terrified as the tiger charged ] -ANT. BRAVE, BOLD

English World dictionary. . 2014.

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  • Afraid — A*fraid , p. a. [OE. afrayed, affraide, p. p. of afraien to affray. See {Affray}, and cf. {Afeard}.] Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive. [Afraid comes after the noun it limits.] Back they recoiled, afraid. Milton. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Afraid — «Afraid» Sencillo de Mötley Crüe del álbum Generation Swine Publicación 1997 Formato CD Grabación 1996 Género(s) Glam metal …   Wikipedia Español

  • afraid — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ fearful or anxious. ● I m afraid Cf. ↑I m afraid ORIGIN from Old French afrayer disturb, startle …   English terms dictionary

  • afraid — (adj.) early 14c., originally pp. of afray frighten, from Anglo Fr. afrayer, from O.Fr. esfreer (see AFFRAY (Cf. affray) (n.)). A rare case of an English adjective that never stands before a noun. Because it was used in A.V. Bible, it acquired… …   Etymology dictionary

  • afraid — afraid; un·afraid; …   English syllables

  • afraid — [adj1] fearful abashed, aghast, alarmed, anxious, apprehensive, aroused, blanched, cowardly, cowed, daunted, discouraged, disheartened, dismayed, distressed, disturbed, faint hearted, frightened, frozen, have cold feet*, horrified, in awe,… …   New thesaurus

  • afraid — I adjective affrighted, alarmed, anxious, apprehensive, cautious, distrustful, dreading, fearful, frightened, haunted by fear, leery, nervous, scared, shrinking, terrified, terror stricken, timid, timorous, uneasy II index caitiff, leery,… …   Law dictionary

  • afraid — *fearful, apprehensive Analogous words: alarmed, scared (see FRIGHTEN): timorous, *timid Antonyms: unafraid: sanguine Contrasted words: *cool, composed, imperturbable, collected: *confident, assured, sure …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • afraid — a|fraid W2S1 [əˈfreıd] adj [not before noun] [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: Past participle of affray to frighten (14 19 centuries), from Old French affreer; AFFRAY] 1.) frightened because you think that you may get hurt or that something bad may… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • afraid — a|fraid [ ə freıd ] adjective never before noun *** 1. ) frightened, for example because you feel you are in danger: Don t be afraid, I won t hurt you. afraid of: Everyone seems to be afraid of her. He s afraid of flying. afraid to do something:… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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