1
as in terrifying
causing fear
the fearful roar of a lion
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in timid
easily frightened
the stray cat that we took in is still fearful, even around us
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3
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the fearful wind and cold simply made being outside a miserable experience
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4
as in afraid
filled with fear or dread
fearful of venturing out onto the dark highway, the stranded motorist decided to wait in the car for help
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fearful
To her, the full-scale invasion in 2022 and last year’s drone attack are more fearful than radiation.
—
ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
When Kennedy spreads fear, parents become fearful and often refuse vaccines, and herd immunity begins to crack.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Her Catherine is less defined by the quirky, appealing eccentricities of Mary-Louise Parker’s performance in the original 2000 Broadway staging, but is girded by a certain angry resignation, fearful of what life might have in store, furious too, yet seething with a will to defy it all.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
People with a fearful avoidant attachment style (answer C) experience a mix of the trappings of anxious and avoidant attachments, Levine said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearful
ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
When Kennedy spreads fear, parents become fearful and often refuse vaccines, and herd immunity begins to crack.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Her Catherine is less defined by the quirky, appealing eccentricities of Mary-Louise Parker’s performance in the original 2000 Broadway staging, but is girded by a certain angry resignation, fearful of what life might have in store, furious too, yet seething with a will to defy it all.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
People with a fearful avoidant attachment style (answer C) experience a mix of the trappings of anxious and avoidant attachments, Levine said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearful
Adjective
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This isn’t the terrifying Frost of modernist criticism—although the poem is fully aware of darkness, and its world, on the cusp of World War I, like ours, certainly had its terrors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
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Most prior visits had morphed into extended trips into a terrifying medical underworld — to a purgatory known as emergency department boarding.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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And also the anticipatory obedience by a lot of these news organizations who are more timid.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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The film follows Colin (Harry Melling), a timid man who is swept off of his feet by Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), an impossibly handsome biker, who takes him on as his submissive.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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By the final showdown, the production has made use of every bit of stage space, with sensational flying sequences (choreographed by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant) that allow the vampires to float, hover, and—in one especially intense moment—dive from that bridge.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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The moment has sparked an outpouring of empathy, with many pointing to the intense pressure drivers face on the job.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Umpires, afraid of being overturned, or at least, more aware of the new zone and its limitations, have been calling fewer strikes.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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Almost half are personally afraid of losing their job to AI, ranking it among the most acute individual stressors measured in the survey.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Her Dispatch from the scene captured the moments of frightening confusion as high-ranking members of the government were whisked away from the Washington Hilton, where the event was held.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
27 Apr. 2026
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The ultimate scene packs a punch here — without spoiling things, Abigail Onwunali is particularly powerful in a role that Wilson saves till the eleventh hour, and Boone goes to places at once frightening and devastating.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Data centers also have sharp demand spikes driven by computing-intensive tasks, such as training models.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Tilson Thomas’ New World Symphony, an ensemble and intensive three-year fellowship program for music school graduates to hone their craft, and its home at the New World Center in Miami Beach, are considered to be crown jewels in the Miami area’s art scene.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Fetch Foster Rescue has taken in animals from households whose homes were completely destroyed, and the organization’s immediate focus is keeping those frightened pets as relaxed as possible while storm cleanup continues across the community.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
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Witnesses describe the dogs as frightened and wary rather than dangerous — a pair of scared animals looking for food, not a fight.—
Ryan Brennan
April 21,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Yes, scarier than the strange dialogue in Reminders of Him.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
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However, there was a really scary moment in a Game 4 thriller when one player took a skate blade straight to the face.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearful. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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