Meaning & use
afraid
Last updated
Meanings
adjectiveafter a verb
Feeling fear because something seems dangerous or threatening.
Grammar: Used after be or feel, not before a noun: she is afraid of heights.
Patterns
- afraid of something
- afraid of doing something
- afraid for someone
The little boy was afraid of the dark.
I'm not afraid of hard work.
She felt afraid when she heard footsteps behind her.
adjectiveafter a verb
Unwilling to do something because you are worried about the result.
Grammar: Followed by to plus verb: afraid to ask.
Patterns
- afraid to do something
- afraid that something will happen
Don't be afraid to ask questions.
He was afraid to tell his parents about the broken window.
Many people are afraid to speak in public.
phrasefixed phraseformal
Used to say politely that you are sorry about something unwelcome.
Grammar: I'm afraid is placed at the start of a sentence to soften bad news.
Patterns
- I'm afraid so
- I'm afraid not
- I'm afraid that something
I'm afraid the store is closed today.
I'm afraid I can't come to the party.
Is the flight canceled? I'm afraid so.
Word forms
| comparative | more afraid |
|---|---|
| superlative | most afraid |
Common combinations
- afraid of the dark
- My niece is afraid of the dark.
- afraid to ask
- Don't be afraid to ask for help.
- afraid for someone
- I was afraid for my brother on the mountain.
- I'm afraid not
- Can I pay by card? I'm afraid not.
- deathly afraid
- He is deathly afraid of spiders.
- afraid of failing
- She was afraid of failing the exam.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scared
- Scared is more informal and describes sudden fear, while afraid can also describe a lasting fear.
- frightened
- Frightened often suggests a reaction to something that has just startled you.
- terrified
- Terrified is much stronger than afraid and means extremely afraid.
- anxious
- Anxious means uneasily worried about the future, not fear of an immediate danger.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: afraid or afraid / scary? afraid or afraid / fear?
afraid vs afraid / scary
A person is afraid, but a thing that causes fear is scary.
afraid vs afraid / fear
Afraid is an adjective; fear is a noun or verb: I am afraid, I have fear.
Practice
I'm afraid ______ flying, so I take the train.
Choose one answer.
Afraid takes of before the thing that causes fear. With, from and at are not used in this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “afraid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.