afraid
/əˈfɹeɪd/ adjective
Forms affrayed 'fraid
- adjective Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear. “He is afraid of death.”
- adjective Regretful, sorry; expressing a reluctance to face an unpleasant situation. [with that (+ clause) or clause; or with so or not] “I am afraid I cannot help you in this matter.”
- adjective Worried about, feeling concern for, fearing for (someone or something). [with for]
Synonyms
afeared alarmed anxious apprehensive fearful timid timorous sorry chicken concerned creeped out frightened frit horrified mortified panicked scared shocked startled terrified
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English affrayed, affraied, past participle of afraien (“to affray”), from Anglo-Norman afrayer (“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”), from Old French effreer, esfreer (“to disturb, remove the peace from”), from es- (“out”) + freer (“to secure, secure the peace”), from Frankish *friþu (“security, peace”), from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace”), from Proto-Germanic *frijōną (“to free; to love”), from Proto-Indo-European *prāy-, *prēy- (“to like, love”). By surface analysis, affray + -ed. Compare also afeard. More at free, friend.
Webster’s 1913
- Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive.
Etymology [OE. afrayed, affraide, p. p. of afraien to affray. See Affray, and cf. Afeard.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “afraid”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details