fearful

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fear·ful

(fîr′fəl)

adj.

a. Experiencing fear; frightened: fearful about losing one's job; fearful of a scornful response.

b. Inclined to feel anxiety or apprehension; timid; nervous.

c. Indicating anxiety or fear: "Sare faltered, a fearful look clouding her face" (Donna Morrisey).

2. Causing or capable of causing fear; frightening: a fearful howling.

3. Extreme, as in degree or extent. Used especially of something negative: a fearful blunder; fearful poverty.

fear′ful·ly adv.

fear′ful·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fearful

(ˈfɪəfʊl)

adj

1. having fear; afraid

2. causing fear; frightening

3. informal very unpleasant or annoying: a fearful cold.

ˈfearfulness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fear•ful

(ˈfɪər fəl)

adj.

1. causing or apt to cause fear; frightening: a fearful blizzard.

2. feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude; apprehensive; anxious.

3. full of awe or reverence.

4. showing or caused by fear: fearful behavior.

5. extreme in size, intensity, or badness: fearful poverty.

[1300–50]

fear′ful•ly, adv.

fear′ful•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	fearful - experiencing or showing fear; "a fearful glance"; "fearful of criticism" afraid - 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"
	2.	fearful - causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse" direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, terrible, awful, dire, horrific alarming - frightening because of an awareness of danger
	3.	fearful - lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley cowardly afraid - 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" timid - showing fear and lack of confidence ignoble - completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose; "something cowardly and ignoble in his attitude"; "I think it a less evil that some criminals should escape than that the government should play an ignoble part"- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
	4.	fearful - extremely distressing; "fearful slum conditions"; "a frightful mistake" frightful bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice"
	5.	fearful - timid by nature or revealing timidity; "timorous little mouse"; "in a timorous tone"; "cast fearful glances at the large dog" timorous, trepid timid - showing fear and lack of confidence

fearful

adjective

1. scared, afraid, alarmed, frightened, nervous, terrified, apprehensive, petrified, jittery (informal) They were fearful that the fighting might spread.
scared confident, undaunted, unabashed, unafraid

2. timid, afraid, frightened, scared, alarmed, wired (slang), nervous, anxious, shrinking, tense, intimidated, uneasy, neurotic, hesitant, apprehensive, jittery (informal), panicky, nervy (Brit. informal), diffident, jumpy, timorous, pusillanimous, faint-hearted I had often been very fearful and isolated.
timid game (informal), confident, brave, daring, bold, heroic, courageous, gallant, gutsy (slang), intrepid, valiant, plucky, doughty, indomitable, unflinching, dauntless, ballsy (taboo slang), lion-hearted, valorous

3. frightful, shocking, terrible, awful, distressing, appalling, horrible, grim, dreadful, horrific, dire, horrendous, ghastly, hideous, monstrous, harrowing, gruesome, grievous, unspeakable, atrocious, hair-raising, hellacious (U.S. slang) The earthquake was a fearful disaster.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

fearful

adjective

1. Causing or able to cause fear:

appalling, dire, direful, dreadful, fearsome, formidable, frightful, ghastly, redoubtable, scary, terrible, tremendous.

2. Filled with fear or terror:

afraid, aghast, apprehensive, fearsome, funky, panicky.

Regional: afeard, ascared.

3. Very bad:

appalling, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, horrendous, horrible, shocking, terrible.

Translations

خائِفسَيِّء جِداًمُخيف، مُرْعِب

bázlivýhroznýstrašný

bangeforfærdeligfrygtelig

ängstlich furchtsam furchtbar

temeroso terrible espantoso horrible miedoso

épouvantable peureux redoutable craintif effrayant

borzalmas

hræîileguróttasleginnskelfilegur, ógnvekjandi

angoscioso terribile

reddsom

çok kötükorkmuş korkunç

可怕的害怕的极坏的

fearful

[ˈfɪəfʊl] ADJ

1. (= frightened) → temeroso (of de) to be fearful that → tener miedo de que + subjun

2. (= frightening) → espantoso

3. (o.f.) (= awful) → horrible

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

fearful

[ˈfɪə^rfʊl] adj

(= afraid) → craintif/ive, peureux/euse
to be fearful of sb → avoir peur de qn, craindre qn
to be fearful of sth (= afraid of) → avoir peur de qch (= apprehend) → craindre qch
to be fearful of doing sth → craindre de faire qch

(= dreadful) [sight, noise, condition, shock] → affreux/euse, épouvantable

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

fearful

adj

(= apprehensive) → ängstlich, bang; he was fearful lest he fail/be discovered (old) → ihm bangte davor zu versagen/entdeckt zu werden; to be fearful for one’s/somebody’s life → um sein/jds Leben fürchten; to be fearful of somebody/something → Angst vor jdm/etw (dat) → haben; I was fearful of waking her → ich befürchtete, dass ich sie aufwecken würde

(= frightening) → furchtbar, schrecklich (inf)

(dated inf: = terrible) → furchtbar, schrecklich (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

fearful

[ˈfɪəfʊl] adj

a. (frightened) to be fearful of → temere, avere paura di
to be fearful that ... → temere or avere paura che...

b. (frightening, accident) → pauroso/a, spaventoso/a; (sight, noise) → terrificante, spaventoso/a, terribile

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

fear

(fiə) noun

(a) feeling of great worry or anxiety caused by the knowledge of danger. The soldier tried not to show his fear; fear of water.

verb

1. to feel fear because of (something). She feared her father when he was angry; I fear for my father's safety (= I am worried because I think he is in danger).

2. to regret. I fear you will not be able to see him today.

ˈfearful adjective

1. afraid. a fearful look.

2. terrible. The lion gave a fearful roar.

3. very bad. a fearful mistake!

ˈfearfully adverb

ˈfearless adjective

without fear; brave. a fearless soldier.

ˈfearlessly adverb

for fear of

so as not to. She would not go swimming for fear of catching a cold.

in fear of

in a state of being afraid of. He lived in fear of his mother.

fearful

a. temeroso-a, miedoso-a.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

But, notwithstanding the kind treatment we received, I was too familiar with the fickle disposition of savages not to feel anxious to withdraw from the valley, and put myself beyond the reach of that fearful death which, under all these smiling appearances, might yet menace us.

Several times he opened his lips, but fearful for his safety I enjoined silence.

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And when mine eye fleeth from the present to the bygone, it findeth ever the same: fragments and limbs and fearful chances--but no men!

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"Fly, fly," quoth then the fearful Dwarf, "this is no place for living men."

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The Bowman immediately shot out an arrow and said to the Lion: "I send thee my messenger, that from him thou mayest learn what I myself shall be when I assail thee." The wounded Lion rushed away in great fear, and when a Fox who had seen it all happen told him to be of good courage and not to back off at the first attack he replied: "You counsel me in vain; for if he sends so fearful a messenger, how shall I abide the attack of the man himself?'

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We sauntered through the markets and criticised the fearful and wonderful costumes from the back country; examined the populace as far as eyes could do it; and closed the entertainment with an ice-cream debauch.

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When at last we came to ourselves the giant sat examining us attentively with his fearful eye.

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What took place during that fearful night neither of them knew, but, on Tuesday morning, under those showers of heat which the sun poured down upon them, the unfortunate men felt their limbs gradually drying up, and when Joe attempted to rise he found it impossible.

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The dark and fearful sea of the subtle Ulysses' wanderings, agitated by the wrath of Olympian gods, harbouring on its isles the fury of strange monsters and the wiles of strange women; the highway of heroes and sages, of warriors, pirates, and saints; the workaday sea of Carthaginian merchants and the pleasure lake of the Roman Caesars, claims the veneration of every seaman as the historical home of that spirit of open defiance against the great waters of the earth which is the very soul of his calling.

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It was fearful! There was a knocking heard at the Palace gate, and the old King went to open it.

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One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents: besides, it was as dark as pitch.

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"I, with my noble master, went into many actions together without a wound; and though I saw horses shot down with bullets, pierced through with lances, and gashed with fearful saber-cuts; though we left them dead on the field, or dying in the agony of their wounds, I don't think I feared for myself.