Words For Fear And Anxiety

noun a cause of obsessive fear, anxiety, or irritation

• The lack of funding has always been a bugbear for the research team.
• My biggest bugbear at work is when people don't clean up after themselves in the break room.
• That math test was a real bugbear, I couldn't figure out any of the questions.
• Procrastination is my biggest bugbear when it comes to achieving my goals.

verb to crouch or shrink back in fear or shame

• The villagers would cower in fear whenever the dragon appeared.
• Don't cower behind me, stand up for yourself!
• Stop cowering like a scaredy-cat and face your fears.
• She refused to cower under the pressure and stood her ground.

noun a term used to describe someone who is fearful or cowardly

• The young child was often called a 'fraidy cat' by his classmates because he was afraid of the dark.
• Don't be such a 'fraidy cat', just jump in the pool!
• Stop being a 'fraidy cat' and just ask her out on a date.
• He may act tough, but deep down he's just a 'fraidy cat' when it comes to facing his fears.

verb to make someone feel frightened or scared, especially in order to make them do what you want

• She felt intimidated by the advanced level of the course material.
• I didn't want to ask for help because I was intimidated by the professor.
• I was too intimidated to even try out for the team.
• The towering skyscrapers in the city skyline can be intimidating to newcomers.

verb past tense of panic

adjective feeling or showing sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety

• The passengers panicked when they heard the announcement about the emergency landing.
• I panicked when I realized I had left my phone at home.
• She totally panicked when she saw her ex at the party.
• The team panicked when they were down by two goals in the final minutes of the game.

noun a word that functions as the name of a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb

• The witness was scared stiff during the cross-examination.
• I was scared stiff when I heard a noise in the middle of the night.
• She was scared stiff to go into the haunted house.
• The thought of public speaking makes me scared stiff.

noun a cat that is easily frightened or timid

• The scaredy cat refused to enter the haunted house.
• Don't be such a scaredy cat, it's just a little spider.
• Stop being a scaredy cat and just jump off the diving board.
• He may act tough, but deep down he's just a scaredy cat.

noun a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen

• The new investors approached the merger with trepidation, unsure of the potential risks involved.
• I feel a sense of trepidation about starting my new job next week.
• I was full of trepidation before taking the final exam, but I ended up doing better than I expected.
• As she walked through the dark forest, a feeling of trepidation crept over her like a cold shiver.

noun a person who is easily frightened or scared

• The timid individual was often referred to as a scaredy pants by his peers.
• Don't be such a scaredy pants, it's just a harmless prank.
• Stop being a scaredy pants and just jump off the diving board already!
• She may act tough, but deep down she's a scaredy pants when it comes to spiders.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• I am afraid to say that the project deadline will not be met.
• I'm afraid to say I forgot to do my homework.
• I'm scared to say that I messed up big time.
• She was afraid to say what was on her mind for fear of hurting his feelings.