Fearful
['fɪəfʊl;-f(ə)l] or ['fɪrfəl]
Definition
(adj.) experiencing or showing fear; 'a fearful glance'; 'fearful of criticism' .
(adj.) timid by nature or revealing timidity; 'timorous little mouse'; 'in a timorous tone'; 'cast fearful glances at the large dog' .
(adj.) extremely distressing; 'fearful slum conditions'; 'a frightful mistake' .
Editor: Matt--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Full of fear, apprehension, or alarm; afraid; frightened.
(a.) inclined to fear; easily frightened; without courage; timid.
(a.) Indicating, or caused by, fear.
(a.) Inspiring fear or awe; exciting apprehension or terror; terrible; frightful; dreadful.
Checked by Jean
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. Afraid, apprehensive, haunted with fear.[2]. Timid, timorous, nervous, diffident, pusillanimous, cowardly, faint-hearted, chicken-hearted, white-livered, showing the white feather, easily frightened.[3]. Terrible, dreadful, frightful, dire, direful.[4]. Awful, to be reverenced.
Typed by Keller
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Timid, hesitating, terrible, awful, apprehensive, frightful, shocking,terrific, afraid, horrible, dreadful
ANT:Bold, venturesome, confident, audacious, consolatory, inspiriting, assuring,alluring, attractive, hopeful, inviting
Inputed by Jenny
Examples
- The address was solemn and impressive; the sentence fearful to hear. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- Some fearful hours went over me: indescribably was I torn, racked and oppressed in mind. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- No, guardian, I returned, fearful of the light that dimly broke upon me. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Or can such an one account death fearful? Plato. The Republic.
- You were in a FEARFUL state when you came to me. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- The most extraordinary thing about the man was, that he was contorting his face into the most fearful and astonishing grimaces that ever were beheld. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- To England, then, I conveyed her; a fearful voyage I had with such a monster in the vessel. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- But stronger than all was maternal love, wrought into a paroxysm of frenzy by the near approach of a fearful danger. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- The nervous terrors and fearful visions which had scared us during the spring, continued to visit our coward troop during this sad journey. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- You're a fearful woman, but I don't bear you no ill-will. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- But now a fearful circumstance occurs. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Never in all his life had so fearful a sound smote upon his ears. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- It was as if the wind and rain had lulled at last, after a long and fearful storm. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- In such minds, disregard of religion is a more fearful treason,--a more deadly sin. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- In doing this, Butler made a fearful mistake. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- What happened after that is like some fearful dream. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- I thought of Steerforth: and a foolish, fearful fancy came upon me of his being near at hand, and liable to be met at any turn. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- There was a fearful pause. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- But now each seemed fearful lest the fatal moment should pass, while the choice was yet undecided. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- And these sounds he rendered yet more fearful, by banging against each other two or three pieces of rusty armour which lay scattered around the hall. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- He had fearful wounds upon him, and she bound them up with her dress torn into strips. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Saying this, he suddenly quitted me, fearful, perhaps, of any change in my sentiments. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
- His complexion was white with agitation, and he looked as if fearful of his reception, and conscious that he merited no kind one. Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- These criminals undergo the fearful operation without a wince, without a tremor of any kind, without a groan! Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- The very love which she might feel for her sons only served to render the timid and pious lady more fearful and unhappy. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- It is a fearful one to us, said Miss Ophelia. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- True, said he, and fearful to reflect upon. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- With an heavy heart I entered the palace, and stood fearful to advance, to speak, to look. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Elizabeth observed my agitation for some time in timid and fearful silence; at length she said, What is it that agitates you, my dear Victor? Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
- He is the most fearful of giving pain, of wounding expectation, and the most incapable of being selfish, of any body I ever saw. Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
Inputed by Jenny