| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| afraid |
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| SYLLABICATION: | a·fraid |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   -fr d |
| ADJECTIVE: | 1. Filled with fear: afraid of ghosts; afraid to die; afraid for his life. 2. Having feelings of aversion or unwillingness in regard to something: not afraid of hard work; afraid to show emotion. 3. Filled with regret or concern. Used especially to soften an unpleasant statement: I'm afraid you're wrong. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English affraied, past participle of affraien, to frighten, from Old French esfraier, esfreer, to disturb, of Germanic origin. See pr - in Appendix I. | | SYNONYMS: | afraid, apprehensive, fearful These adjectives mean full of or given to fear: afraid of snakes; feeling apprehensive before surgery; fearful of criticism.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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