as in scared
filled with fear or dread
Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of afraid
Many are afraid to speak up for fear of losing their jobs.
—
Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2025
Truly skilled, effective coaches don’t need to call their players names and berate them for messing up and know that doing so makes players afraid to take risks and be creative, critical parts of being a great soccer player.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
In his four years in charge of the Mavericks, Harrison hasn’t been afraid to take big swings.
—C. Clark, M. Vorkunov and F. Katz, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Their jewelry speaks to women who aren’t afraid to express their individuality.
—Sandra Salibian, WWD, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2025
Truly skilled, effective coaches don’t need to call their players names and berate them for messing up and know that doing so makes players afraid to take risks and be creative, critical parts of being a great soccer player.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
In his four years in charge of the Mavericks, Harrison hasn’t been afraid to take big swings.
—C. Clark, M. Vorkunov and F. Katz, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Their jewelry speaks to women who aren’t afraid to express their individuality.
—Sandra Salibian, WWD, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afraid
Adjective
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And people who are scared are less likely to want to stay here.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
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For people fresh out of school, my advice as a lawyer is, don’t be scared to seek counsel but above all, don’t be scared to ask for things.—
Joelle Diderich,
WWD,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And this week, there’s a very nice sequence in which Matty walks a frightened Zoey, step-by-step, through what to expect when she gets arrested.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2025
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Igor tries to subdue Ani, who's frightened and enraged, kicking and screaming at the prospect of being separated from her new husband.—
Mandalit del Barco,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Einbinder appeared extremely fearful of addressing anything about being Jewish at this moment.—
Steven Zeitchik,
The Hollywood Reporter,
1 Mar. 2025
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Ratliff is a wealthy Southern business mogul confronted by past shady business dealings and fearful that his secrets will come to light and endanger his family, played by Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola, and Sarah Catherine Hook.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For others, the reaction may range from being confused, to downright alarmed.—
Oyku Ilgar,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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In addition to league warnings, an alarmed FBI also announced a nationwide crackdown aimed at identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.—
Chelsea Bailey and Josh Campbell,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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When Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead last month in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home, the community was shocked.—
Jay Stahl,
USA TODAY,
7 Mar. 2025
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The comedy community, meanwhile, was shocked, too, because Hoffman is mostly known as a curmudgeon.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Given his fake news rhetoric, Trump is certainly not worried about media reports, traditionally a strong external check on presidential power.—
Sergei Klebnikov,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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Vistra is in talks with regulators and communities who are worried about how locating data centers next to power plants will affect the electric grid, Burke said.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Afraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afraid. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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