FEARFUL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fearful mean? 

• FEARFUL (adjective)
  The adjective FEARFUL has 5 senses:

1. experiencing or showing fear

2. causing fear or dread or terror

3. lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted

4. extremely distressing

5. timid by nature or revealing timidity

  Familiarity information: FEARFUL used as an adjective is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FEARFUL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Experiencing or showing fear

Context example:

fearful of criticism

Similar:

afraid (filled with fear or apprehension)

Derivation:

fearfulness (an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Causing fear or dread or terror

Synonyms:

awful; dire; direful; dread; dreaded; dreadful; fearful; fearsome; frightening; horrendous; horrific; terrible

Context example:

a terrible curse

Similar:

alarming (frightening because of an awareness of danger)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted

Synonyms:

cowardly; fearful

Context example:

cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then

Similar:

caitiff (despicably mean and cowardly)

chicken; chickenhearted; lily-livered; white-livered; yellow; yellow-bellied (easily frightened)

craven; recreant (lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful)

dastard; dastardly (despicably cowardly)

faint; faint-hearted; fainthearted; timid (lacking conviction or boldness or courage)

funky (in a state of cowardly fright)

poltroon (characterized by complete cowardliness)

poor-spirited; pusillanimous; unmanly (lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution; contemptibly fearful)

Also:

afraid (filled with fear or apprehension)

timid (showing fear and lack of confidence)

ignoble (completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose)

Attribute:

cowardice; cowardliness (the trait of lacking courage)

Derivation:

fearfulness (the trait of being afraid)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Extremely distressing

Synonyms:

fearful; frightful

Context example:

a frightful mistake

Similar:

bad (having undesirable or negative qualities)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Timid by nature or revealing timidity

Synonyms:

fearful; timorous; trepid

Context example:

cast fearful glances at the large dog

Similar:

timid (showing fear and lack of confidence)

 Context examples 

Fearful and ghastly to me—oh, sir, I never saw a face like it!

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Whatever may be the issue of all this fearful state of things, it will be a sweet thought to all or some of us.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

He had a fearful row about it in Vienna, I believe.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The sailors assembled in a fearful group just outside the forecastle scuttle and watched and listened.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The advance represents a safe, easily implemented way to prevent the return of a fearful memory.

(How Our Memory Works, NIH, US)

Catherine was too wretched to be fearful.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

How her temper and understanding might bear the investigation of his present keener time of life was another concern and rather a fearful one.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

It was a fearful cry, but the fox, leaping away in fright, did not drop the ptarmigan.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

What happened after that is like some fearful dream.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I thought of Steerforth: and a foolish, fearful fancy came upon me of his being near at hand, and liable to be met at any turn.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)