afraid
English · Thesaurus
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afraid
- /əˈfɹeɪd/
- /əˈfɹɛd/ Southern US
Rhymes with -eɪd
Where it comes from
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.
adjective more afraid · most afraid · affrayed · 'fraid
-
Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
He is afraid of death.
Similar: afeared, alarmed, anxious, apprehensive, fearful, timid, timorous
-
Regretful, sorry; expressing a reluctance to face an unpleasant situation.
I am afraid I cannot help you in this matter.
Similar: sorry
- Worried about, feeling concern for, fearing for (someone or something).
Similar: afeared, afraid, alarmed, anxious, apprehensive, chicken, concerned, creeped out, fearful, frightened, frit, horrified, mortified, panicked, scared, shocked, startled, terrified, timorous, worried, wary · Opposite: brave, calm, unafraid
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: petrified, scared, frightened, fearful, afeared, afeard, terrified, horrified, horror-stricken, horror-struck, terror-stricken, appalled, aghast, cowed, apprehensive, panic-stricken
Translations
Every language
adj impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive
| Español | con miedo, con temor, con susto, asustado, que teme, que tiene miedo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 무서워하다 museowo-hada |
| 日本語 | 怖い kowai |
| 中文 | 害怕 hàipà, 怕 pà |
| Português | com medo |
| Français | effrayé |
| Deutsch | ängstlich |
| Italiano | con paura |
| Русский | испу́ганный ispúgannyj |
| Tiếng Việt | đáng sợ |
| العربية | خَائِف ḵāʔif, مَرْعُوب marʕūb |
| עברית | מְפַחֵד m'faẖéd, יָרֵא yaré |
Talk about this word "afraid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/afraid. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. afraid. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/afraid "afraid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/afraid.Cite this
@misc{afraid_2026,
title = {afraid},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/afraid},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
