afraid

Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.

Adjective

  1. Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
    • He is afraid of death.
    • He is afraid to ask her out.
    • He is afraid of the future.

    Synonyms: afeared alarmed anxious apprehensive fearful timid timorous

  2. Regretful, sorry; expressing a reluctance to face an unpleasant situation. [with that (+ clause) or clause; or with so or not]
    • I am afraid I cannot help you in this matter.

    Synonyms: sorry

  3. Worried about, feeling concern for, fearing for (someone or something). [with for]

Origin

From Middle English affrayed, affraied, past participle of afraien (“to affray”), from Anglo-Norman afrayer (“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”), from Old French effreer, esfreer (“to disturb, remove the peace from”), from es- (“out”) + freer (“to secure, secure the peace”), from Frankish *friþu (“security, peace”), from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace”), from Proto-Germanic *frijōną (“to free; to love”), from Proto-Indo-European *prāy-, *prēy- (“to like, love”). By surface analysis, affray + -ed. Compare also afeard. More at free, friend.

Forms

more afraid most afraid affrayed 'fraid

Synonyms

afeared afraid alarmed anxious apprehensive chicken concerned creeped out fearful frightened frit horrified mortified panicked scared shocked startled terrified timorous worried wary

Antonyms

brave calm unafraid

Hypernyms

emotional emotionful

Hyponyms

nervous paranoid petrified scared half to death scared spitless scared shitless scared stiff scared to death shit scared spooked

Related

afear afeared affray fray fear frighten coward

Derived

afraidly afraidness afraid of one's own shadow fraidy I am afraid of this I'm afraid I'm afraid not I'm afraid so nonafraid unafraid unafraidly