afraid
feeling fear, or feeling worry about the possible results of a particular situation
I've always been afraid of flying/heights/spiders.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
afraid
adjective
If you are afraid of something, it makes you feel fear:
Some people are afraid of snakes.
I was afraid to open the door.
I'm afraid … a polite way of saying that you are sorry:
I'm afraid I've broken your calculator.
I'm afraid that I can't come to your party.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
afraid
a‧fraid S1 W2 /əˈfreɪd/ BrE AmE adjective [not before noun]
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Past participle of affray 'to frighten' (14-19 centuries), from Old French affreer; ⇨ ↑affray]
1. frightened because you think that you may get hurt or that something bad may happen SYN scared:
There’s no need to be afraid.
afraid of (doing) something
kids who are afraid of the dark
He was afraid of being caught by the police.
afraid to do something
Zoe was half afraid (=a little afraid) to go back in the house.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say scared rather than afraid:
▪ I’m scared of heights.
2. worried about what might happen, or that something bad will happen
afraid (that)
He was afraid that the other kids would laugh at him.
afraid of (doing) something
I didn’t tell her because I was afraid of upsetting her.
The government was afraid of a public outcry.
afraid to do something
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
3. afraid for somebody/something worried that something bad may happen to a particular person or thing:
Her father looked ill and she was suddenly afraid for him.
Many of us were afraid for our jobs.
4. I’m afraid spoken used to politely tell someone something that may annoy, upset, or disappoint them:
That’s the most we can offer you, I’m afraid.
I’m afraid (that)
I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong address.
‘Is she very ill?’ ‘I’m afraid so (=yes).’
‘Did you see him?’ ‘I’m afraid not (=no).’
• • •
GRAMMAR
Afraid to do something means 'unwilling to do something, because you are frightened or worried':
▪ They are afraid to express their political views.
Afraid of doing something can also mean this:
▪ When I was a child, I was afraid of going to sleep.
However, it more often means 'frightened or worried that something might happen as a result of your action':
▪ They were afraid of damaging their careers.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ frightened feeling worried because you might get hurt or because something bad might happen: I was too frightened to say anything. | Many animals are frightened of fireworks. | Frightened residents called the police as the gang started throwing bricks.
▪ scared [not before noun] especially spoken frightened. Scared is less formal than frightened and is the usual word to use in everyday English: I’m scared of dogs. | Old people are too scared to go out of their homes.
▪ afraid [not before noun] frightened. Afraid sounds more formal than frightened or scared: Children are often afraid of the dark. | I was afraid that I might say the wrong thing.
▪ alarmed frightened and worried that something bad might happen: She was alarmed at the thought of performing in front of an audience. | Alarmed passengers spotted fuel leaking from the plane.
▪ fearful formal frightened that something bad might happen: They are fearful of another terrorist attack. | He was fearful that he might make another mistake. | a fearful panic
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
afraid
afraid [əˈfreɪd] [əˈfreɪd] adjective not before noun
1. feeling fear; frightened because you think that you might be hurt or suffer
• Don't be afraid.
• ~ of sb/sth It's all over. There's nothing to be afraid of now.
• Are you afraid of spiders?
• ~ of doing sth I started to feel afraid of going out alone at night.
• ~ to do sth She was afraid to open the door.
2. worried about what might happen
• ~ of doing sth She was afraid of upsetting her parents.
• Tamsin was afraid of making a fool of herself.
• ~ to do sth Don't be afraid to ask if you don't understand.
• The boy wasn't afraid to say what he believed.
• ~ (that…) We were afraid (that) we were going to capsize the boat.
3. ~ for sb/sth worried or frightened that sth unpleasant, dangerous, etc. will happen to a particular person or thing
• I'm not afraid for me, but for the baby.
• They had already fired three people and he was afraid for his job.
Idiom: I'm afraid
Word Origin:
Middle English: past participle of the obsolete verb affray, from Anglo-Norman French afrayer ‘disturb, startle’, based on an element of Germanic origin related to Old English frithu ‘peace, safety’.
Thesaurus:
afraid [afraid] adj.
• He was afraid of the dark.
frightened • • scared • • terrified • • alarmed • • nervous • • paranoid • • petrified • • intimidated • • cowardly • • apprehensive • |informal chicken • |formal fearful •
Opp: brave, Opp: confident, (formal) Opp: unafraid
afraid/frightened/scared/terrified/nervous/petrified/apprehensive/fearful of sb/sth
frightened/scared/alarmed/nervous/paranoid/apprehensive/fearful about sth
afraid/frightened/scared/terrified/alarmed/petrified/apprehensive/fearful that…
afraid/frightened/scared to do sth
Afraid, frightened or scared? Scared is more informal, more common in speech, and often describes small fears. Afraid cannot come before a noun:
• a frightened child
• a scared expression
¤ an afraid child/expression
Synonyms:
afraid
frightened • scared • terrified • alarmed • paranoid
These words all describe feeling or showing fear.
afraid • [not before noun] feeling fear; worried that sth bad might happen: ▪ There's nothing to be afraid of. ◊ ▪ Aren't you afraid (that) you'll fall?
frightened • feeling fear; worried that sth bad might happen: ▪ a frightened child ◊ ▪ She was frightened that the glass would break.
scared • (rather informal) feeling fear; worried that sth bad might happen: ▪ The thieves got scared and ran away.
afraid, frightened or scared?
Scared is more informal, more common in speech, and often describes small fears. Afraid cannot come before a noun. It can only take the preposition of, not about. If you are afraid/frightened/scared of sb/sth/doing sth or afraid/frightened/scared to do sth, you think you are in danger of being hurt or suffering in some way. If you are frightened/scared about sth/doing sth, it is less a fear for your personal safety and more a worry that sth unpleasant might happen.
terrified • very frightened: ▪ I was terrified (that) she wouldn't come. ◊ ▪ She looked at him with wide, terrified eyes.
alarmed • afraid that sth dangerous or unpleasant might happen: ▪ She was alarmed at the prospect of travelling alone.
paranoid • (rather informal) afraid or suspicious of other people and believing that they are trying to harm you, in a way that is not reasonable: ▪ You're just being paranoid.
afraid/frightened/scared of spiders, etc.
frightened/scared/paranoid about …
afraid/frightened/scared/terrified that …
afraid/frightened/scared to open the door, etc.
Don't be afraid/frightened/scared/alarmed.
Example Bank:
• Don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of.
• He stopped abruptly, suddenly afraid to say the words out loud.
• He was half afraid to look at her.
• Roger was very afraid for her.
• She was tense, almost afraid to open the letter.
• What has made you so deeply afraid of your boss?
• You do know, don't you? You are just afraid to tell me.
• Are you afraid of the dark?
• Aren't you afraid (that) you'll fall?
• Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you.
• I'm not afraid for me, but for the baby.
• I'm not afraid of you!
• There's nothing to be afraid of.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
afraid / əˈfreɪd / adjective [ after verb ] (FEAR)
A2 feeling fear, or feeling worry about the possible results of a particular situation:
He was/felt suddenly afraid.
I've always been afraid of flying/heights/spiders.
She was afraid for her children (= feared that they might be hurt) .
[ + to infinitive ] Don't be afraid to say what you think.
[ + (that) ] She was afraid (that) he might be upset if she told him.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
afraid / əˈfreɪd / adjective (SORRY)
I'm afraid... A2 used to politely introduce bad news or disagreement:
This is your room - it's rather small, I'm afraid.
I don't agree at all, I'm afraid.
I'm afraid you've completely misunderstood the question.
[ + (that) ] I'm afraid (that) we can't come this evening after all.
"Was she impressed with our work?" "I'm afraid not (= no) ."
"Does this mean I've got to leave?" "I'm afraid so." (= Yes.)
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
afraid
/əfreɪd/
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If you are afraid of someone or afraid to do something, you are frightened because you think that something very unpleasant is going to happen to you.
She did not seem at all afraid...
I was afraid of the other boys...
I’m still afraid to sleep in my own bedroom.
= frightened
ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ of n, ADJ to-inf
2.
If you are afraid for someone else, you are worried that something horrible is going to happen to them.
She’s afraid for her family in Somalia.
ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ for n
3.
If you are afraid that something unpleasant will happen, you are worried that it may happen and you want to avoid it.
I was afraid that nobody would believe me...
The Government is afraid of losing the election...
ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ that, ADJ of -ing, ADJ to-inf
4.
If you want to apologize to someone or to disagree with them in a polite way, you can say I’m afraid. (SPOKEN)
We don’t have anything like that, I’m afraid...
I’m afraid I can’t help you...
PHRASE: PHR with cl, PHR that [politeness]
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
afraid
afraid /əˈfreɪd/ adj not used before a noun
1 [more ~; most ~] : feeling fear: such as
a : worried that something will cause pain or injury
• Don't be afraid [=frightened, scared]—the dog won't hurt you.
- often + of
• I don't like tall buildings because I'm afraid of heights. [=of being high up in the air]
• He's afraid of snakes.
• All the kids at school were afraid of him.
b : nervous about doing something - often + of
• She's afraid of failing/failure.
• He wasn't afraid of saying what he thought.
• Don't be afraid of [=don't worry about] what everyone else thinks.
- often followed by to + verb
• He wasn't afraid to say what he thought.
• I wanted to visit her, but I was afraid to ask.
• Don't be afraid to take risks.
c : nervous or worried that something might happen
• She's afraid (that) she might fail.
• We were all afraid (that) she wouldn't live.
• I'm afraid (that) everyone will laugh at me.
• I was afraid (that) you would say “no.”
2
- used in the phrase I'm afraid as a polite way of showing that you are sorry about a disappointing, negative, or critical statement
• I'm sorry, but I'm afraid (that) I won't be able to come to your party.
• She tries hard, but I'm afraid that her work just isn't very good.
• I'm afraid that I still don't understand the problem.
• This is only the beginning of the battle, I'm afraid.
• Most of us worked very hard, but she, I'm afraid to say [=I'm sorry to say; I regret to say], did no work at all.
• “Is it raining?” “I'm afraid so.” = “I'm afraid it is.” [=yes, it is]
• “Can you come to our party?” “I'm afraid not.” = “I'm afraid I can't.” [=no, I can't come]
3
- used with not to say that someone is willing to do something; often + of
• She's not afraid of hard work. = She's not afraid of working hard. [=she's willing to work hard; she works hard]
• You can't be afraid of getting dirty in this job. [=you have to be willing to get dirty in this job]
- often followed by to + verb
• She's not afraid to work hard.
• He's not afraid to admit his mistakes.
afraid for : feeling fear or worry about (something or someone)
• I'm afraid for the children.
• They were afraid for their lives. [=they feared for their lives; they were afraid that they might die]
• He's afraid for his job. [=he's worried that he might lose his job]
