afraid
adjective
ə-ˈfrād 
Southern also ə-ˈfred
1
: filled with fear or apprehension
afraid of machines
was afraid for his job
2
: filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation
I'm afraid I won't be able to go.
3
: having a dislike for something
She's not afraid of hard work. [=she's not unwilling to work hard]
Synonyms
- affrighted
- aghast
- alarmed
- fearful
- frightened
- horrified
- horror-struck
- hysterical
- hysteric
- scared
- scary
- shocked
- spooked
- terrified
- terrorized
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago.
Recent Examples on the Web But Federer was not afraid of failing or seeing his dominance wane. 
Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2022 One thing’s for sure, the owners certainly aren’t afraid of color. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2022 The seasons changed, the kids grew up, some of the actors were afraid of traveling because of corona. Clark Collis, EW.com, 14 Sep. 2022 Even filmmakers who make incredibly serious work sometimes, the Coen brothers or Kubrick — anyone whose work is worth a damn is not afraid of silliness. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022 This look is for the vampire that other vampires are afraid of. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 7 Sep. 2022 This teaches the brain not to be afraid of it and to calm down the overactive alarm systems. Lucia Osborne-crowley, refinery29.com, 6 Sep. 2022 Jams agrees with Fofamit and Kyrie, and encourages those interested to not be afraid of all the bells and whistles—financial or otherwise—seemingly attached to VTubing. WIRED, 4 Sep. 2022 But part of that process is learning to not be afraid of changing and evolving. Alessandro Corona, The Enquirer, 31 Aug. 2022 See More
Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2022 One thing’s for sure, the owners certainly aren’t afraid of color. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2022 The seasons changed, the kids grew up, some of the actors were afraid of traveling because of corona. Clark Collis, EW.com, 14 Sep. 2022 Even filmmakers who make incredibly serious work sometimes, the Coen brothers or Kubrick — anyone whose work is worth a damn is not afraid of silliness. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022 This look is for the vampire that other vampires are afraid of. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 7 Sep. 2022 This teaches the brain not to be afraid of it and to calm down the overactive alarm systems. Lucia Osborne-crowley, refinery29.com, 6 Sep. 2022 Jams agrees with Fofamit and Kyrie, and encourages those interested to not be afraid of all the bells and whistles—financial or otherwise—seemingly attached to VTubing. WIRED, 4 Sep. 2022 But part of that process is learning to not be afraid of changing and evolving. Alessandro Corona, The Enquirer, 31 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English affraied, afraied, from past participle of affraien "to disturb, frighten" — more at affray entry 2
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing afraid
Kids Definition
afraid
adjective
ə-ˈfrād
1
: filled with fear
She was afraid of snakes.
2
: filled with concern or regret
I'm afraid I won't be able to go.
3
: having a dislike for something
They're not afraid to work hard.
afraid
adjective
as in scared
filled with fear or dread Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- scared
- frightened
- terrified
- horrified
- fearful
- alarmed
- worried
- shocked
- upset
- spooked
- aghast
- startled
- terrorized
- nervous
- affrighted
- anxious
- scary
- panicked
- appalled
- apprehensive
- timid
- hysteric
- disturbed
- hysterical
- wary
- horror-struck
- intimidated
- agitated
- shy
- timorous
- fainthearted
- shrinking
- panicky
- perturbed
- phobic
- disquieted
- uneasy
- chicken
- careful
- daunted
- dismayed
- disconcerted
- cautious
- coward
- cowed
- cowardly
- jumpy
- tremulous
- jittery
- craven
- fearsome
- unnerved
- skittish
- panic-stricken
- funky
- pusillanimous
- gutless
- tremulant
- heedful
- prudent
- unadventurous
- lily-livered
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unafraid
- fearless
- daring
- brave
- adventurous
- bold
- sure
- audacious
- courageous
- spirited
- venturesome
- confident
- gutsy
- adventuresome
- daredevil
- hardy
- plucky
- dashing
- valiant
- spunky
- heroic
- intrepid
- assured
- composed
- collected
- stout
- gallant
- stalwart
- venturous
- cool
- sanguine
- unperturbed
- valorous
- resolute
- undaunted
- dauntless
- stouthearted
- heroical
- manful
- lionhearted
Synonym Chooser
The words apprehensive and fearful are common synonyms of afraid. While all three words mean "disturbed by fear," afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance.
afraid to speak the truth
The words apprehensive and afraid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, apprehensive suggests a state of mind and implies a premonition of evil or danger.
apprehensive of being found out
The meanings of fearful and afraid largely overlap; however, fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament.
the child is fearful of loud noises