Link Centre Dictionary

afraid

af·raid

UK/əˈfɹeɪd/ US/əˈfɹɛd/ very common

adjective

1.

filled with fear or apprehension

  • “afraid even to turn his head”
  • “suddenly looked afraid”
  • “afraid for his life”
  • “afraid of snakes”
  • “afraid to ask questions”
Antonyms
Similar
2.

filled with regret or concern; used often to soften an unpleasant statement

  • “I”
  • “t be able to come”
  • “he was afraid he would have to let her go”
  • “I”
  • “re wrong”
Similar
3.

feeling worry or concern or insecurity

  • “She was afraid that I might be embarrassed”
  • “terribly afraid of offending someone”
  • “I am afraid we have witnessed only the first phase of the conflict”
Similar
4.

having feelings of aversion or unwillingness

  • “afraid of hard work”
  • “affaid to show emotion”
Similar

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.

Phrases

  • afraid of one's own shadow
  • I am afraid of this
  • I'm afraid
  • I'm afraid not
  • I'm afraid so

Related words

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.