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fear
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- pronunciation:
- fir
- parts of speech:
- noun, transitive verb, intransitive verb
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun, verb), Word History, Word Builder, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
an emotion characterized by alarm, anxiety, and tension, often caused by an expectation of danger or pain; dread.
- synonyms:
- apprehension, dread, fright, terror, trepidation
- antonyms:
- fearlessness
- similar words:
- alarm, angst, anxiety, consternation, dismay, horror, panic, phobia, scare, tension
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| definition 2: |
a specific occurrence of such an emotion.
- synonyms:
- apprehension, dread, fright, terror, trepidation
- antonyms:
- fearlessness
- similar words:
- alarm, angst, anxiety, consternation, dismay, horror, panic, phobia, scare, tension
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| definition 3: |
something that causes such an emotion.
His greatest fear is of losing his wife.- synonyms:
- dread, fright, terror
- similar words:
- anxiety, bête noire, horror, phobia, worry
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| definition 4: |
profound awe or reverence, esp. toward a supreme power or being.
- synonyms:
- awe, reverence, veneration
- similar words:
- amazement, esteem, honor, marvel, respect, wonder
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| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
fears, fearing, feared |
| definition 1: |
to be frightened of or apprehensive about.
Many people fear the dark.Her husband beat her, but she feared calling the police.He wanted to invest, but he feared losing his money.- synonyms:
- apprehend, dread
- similar words:
- forebode
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| definition 2: |
to be in reverence or awe of.
She was taught to fear God.- synonyms:
- revere, venerate
- similar words:
- esteem, honor, marvel, respect, wonder
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| definition 3: |
to suspect.
I fear that you are being deceived.- synonyms:
- suspect
- antonyms:
- trust
- similar words:
- wonder
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| related words: |
doubt, mistrust, revere, venerate |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition: |
to be afraid or frightened.
- similar words:
- anguish, cower, dread, panic, quail, tense, tremble, worry
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Fear comes from fere, an Old English word. Its earliest meaning, in the 700s, was "danger or peril." It was not used for the feeling of fear until the 1300s.
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broader categories that include fear |
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behavior, emotion, feeling |
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conventionally associated with fear |
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banshee, boo, ghost, ghoul, Halloween, monster, mummy, nightmare, phantom, scarecrow, spook, vampire |
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feeling fear |
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afraid, aghast, anxious, apprehensive, breathless, frantic, ill at ease, nervous, shaky, timid |
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similar to fear |
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anxiety, apprehension |
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some actions related to fear |
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faint, flee, flinch, hide, make one's blood run cold, make one's hair stand on end, pale, quake, quiver, run, scream, shiver, shriek, shrink, shudder, start, startle, sweat, tremble, wail, whimper, whine, wince, yell |
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some people associated with fear |
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baby, chicken, coward, wimp |
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some reactions to fear |
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convulse, dread, face, perspire, stare down |
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some states of fear |
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alarm, dread, fright, horror, panic, shock, terror |
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some things that cause fear |
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change, death, failure, loss, pain, separation, superstition, surprise |
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without fear |
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bold, brave, calm, confident, courageous, daring, fearless, secure, serene |
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