adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/əˈfɹeɪd/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪd
Southern-US:/əˈfɹɛd/
CMU ARPABET:AH0 F R EY1 D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: predicative
Examples
He is afraid of death.
He is afraid to ask her out.
He is afraid of the future.
I’m not afraid of telling / to tell you the truth: I'm reluctant to go in you car because I’m too afraid of crashing.
Regretful, sorry; expressing a reluctance to face an unpleasant situation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: predicative
Examples
I am afraid I cannot help you in this matter.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sorry
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Worried about, feeling concern for, fearing for (someone or something).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: predicative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
filled with regret or concern; used often to soften an unpleasant statement
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
I'm afraid I won't be able to come
he was afraid he would have to let her go
I'm afraid you're wrong
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
feeling worry or concern or insecurity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
having feelings of aversion or unwillingness
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
afraid of hard work
afraid to show emotion
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
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.
Across languages
Translations
94 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afar:
mesitiyya
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Ahom:
𑜀𑜤𑜰𑜫
(ku0)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Arabic:
خَائِف
(ḵāʔif)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Arabic:
مَرْعُوب
(marʕūb)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Arabic:
خايف
(ḵāyif)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Arabic:
خايف
(ḵāyif)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Armenian:
վախեցած
(vaxecʻac)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Belarusian:
які́ баі́цца
(jakí baícca)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Bulgarian:
изпла́шен
(izplášen)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Catalan:
amb por
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Chinese Mandarin:
害怕
(hàipà)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Chinese Mandarin:
怕
(pà)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Chinook Jargon:
kwäss
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Czech:
bojácný
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Czech:
bázlivý
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Czech:
vystrašený
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Danish:
bange
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Dutch:
bang
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Dutch:
bevreesd
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Esperanto:
tima
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Faroese:
ræddur
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Faroese:
bangin
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Finnish:
peloissaan
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Finnish:
pelätä
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
French:
effrayé
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
German:
ängstlich
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Gothic:
𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐍃
(faurhts)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Hebrew:
מְפַחֵד
(m'faẖéd)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Hebrew:
יָרֵא
(yaré)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Hungarian:
fél
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Indonesian:
takut
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Irish:
eaglach
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Italian:
con paura
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Japanese:
怖い
(kowai)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Kazakh:
қорыққан
(qoryqqan)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Korean:
무서워하다
(museowo-hada)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Lao:
ກົວ
(kūa)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Lao:
ຢ້ານ
(yān)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Latin:
metuēns
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Latin:
timidus
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Latvian:
bail
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Latvian:
bailīgs
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Louisiana Creole:
pœr
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Louisiana Creole:
pè
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Lü:
ᦷᦂ
(k̇o)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Macedonian:
уплашен
(uplašen)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Malay:
takut
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Māori:
uruwehi
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Māori:
pūihi
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Māori:
mataku
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Māori:
koera
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Middle English:
dredful
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Norman:
êpeûthé
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Norwegian:
redd
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Norwegian:
engstelig
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Nǀuu:
ǃauke
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Nǀuu:
ǃauka
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Polish:
bać się
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Portuguese:
com medo
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Russian:
испу́ганный
(ispúgannyj)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Serbo-Croatian:
prestrašen
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Shan:
ၵူဝ်
(kǒ)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Slovak:
vystrašený
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Spanish:
con miedo
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Spanish:
con temor
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Spanish:
con susto
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Spanish:
asustado
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Spanish:
que teme
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Spanish:
que tiene miedo
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Spanish:
que le da miedo
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Swedish:
rädd
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Tagalog:
takot
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Tetum:
ta'uk
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Thai:
กลัว
(gluua)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Turkish:
korkak
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Ukrainian:
наляканий
(naljakanyj)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Ukrainian:
ляка́тися
(ljakátysja)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Ute:
i'javaga (Chemehuevi)
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Vietnamese:
đáng sợ
— impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
Chinese Mandarin:
恐怕
(kǒngpà)
— regretful, sorry
Finnish:
pahoillaan
— regretful, sorry
Finnish:
pelkäänpä
— regretful, sorry
German:
bedauern
— regretful, sorry
German:
leider
— regretful, sorry
Hungarian:
attól tart
— regretful, sorry
Hungarian:
sajnál
— regretful, sorry
Hungarian:
sajnos
— regretful, sorry
Irish:
is eagal le
— regretful, sorry
Norwegian:
redd
— regretful, sorry
Polish:
bać się
— regretful, sorry
Portuguese:
temer
— regretful, sorry
Russian:
боя́ться
— regretful, sorry
Russian:
что ...
(bojátʹsja, što ...)
— regretful, sorry
