Pronunciation: /əˈfreɪd tuː seɪ/
noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea
A1 I am afraid to say that I don't understand.
A2 She is afraid to say how she really feels.
B1 He was afraid to say anything in case he offended someone.
B2 The politician was afraid to say what he really thought in public.
C1 The CEO was afraid to say that the company was facing financial difficulties.
C2 The artist was afraid to say that he had lost his inspiration.
verb a word that expresses an action or state of being
A1 I am afraid to say that I don't understand.
A2 She is afraid to say how she really feels.
B1 He was afraid to say anything for fear of offending someone.
B2 The politician was afraid to say what he really thought in public.
C1 The CEO was afraid to say anything controversial during the press conference.
C2 The author was afraid to say too much about the inspiration behind her novel.
adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun
A1 I am afraid to say that I don't understand.
A2 She was afraid to say how she really felt.
B1 He was afraid to say anything in case he offended someone.
B2 The politician was afraid to say what he really thought due to public backlash.
C1 The scientist was afraid to say that the results were inconclusive.
C2 The CEO was afraid to say that the company was in financial trouble.
preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence
A1 I am afraid to say that I don't understand the homework.
A2 She was afraid to say anything in case she offended someone.
B1 The employee was afraid to say anything negative about the company during the meeting.
B2 The politician was afraid to say what he really thought about the new policy.
C1 The journalist was afraid to say too much for fear of reprisals from the government.
C2 The whistleblower was afraid to say anything publicly about the corruption they had uncovered.
formal I am afraid to say that the project deadline will not be met.
informal I'm afraid to say I forgot to do my homework.
slang I'm scared to say that I messed up big time.
figurative She was afraid to say what was on her mind for fear of hurting his feelings.
was afraid to say
are afraid to say
more afraid to say
most afraid to say
am afraid to say
will be afraid to say
have been afraid to say
is being afraid to say
is afraid to say
afraid to say
to be afraid to say
being afraid to say
afraid to say