Fearful

Pronunciation: /ˈfɪərfəl/

Definitions of fearful

adjective feeling or showing fear or anxiety

Example Sentences

A1 I am fearful of spiders.

A2 She is fearful of speaking in public.

B1 The child was fearful of the dark.

B2 The hiker felt fearful as the storm approached.

C1 The politician was fearful of losing the election.

C2 The astronaut felt fearful as they prepared for liftoff.

Examples of fearful in a Sentence

formal The villagers were fearful of the approaching storm.

informal I'm always a little fearful when I have to speak in public.

slang She was so fearful of failing the test that she didn't even show up.

figurative His heart was filled with a fearful anticipation as he waited for the results.

Grammatical Forms of fearful

• past tense: feared
• plural: fearfuls
• comparative: more fearful
• superlative: most fearful
• present tense: fear
• future tense: will fear
• perfect tense: have feared
• continuous tense: is fearing
• singular: fearful
• positive degree: fearful
• infinitive: to fear
• gerund: fearing
• participle: feared

Origin and Evolution of fearful

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'fearful' originated from the Old English word 'færfull' which was derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'fargaz' meaning 'danger'

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'fearful' has evolved to encompass not just a sense of danger or apprehension, but also a feeling of extreme anxiety or dread.