Meaning & use
fearful
Last updated
Feeling afraid or anxious, or causing fear; also used informally to mean very bad or unpleasant.
See it in a sentence
She was fearful of losing her job during the layoffs.
A fearful storm battered the coastline overnight.
A note on using this word
Can describe either the person feeling fear or the thing that inspires it, so context determines whether "fearful" means "scared" or "scary."
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fearful”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.