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fear

fear

 
 
pronunciation:
fir
parts of speech:
noun, verb
features:
Word History, Word Builder, Word Explorer
part of speech: noun
definition 1: a strong feeling one gets when one expects danger or pain.
Her fear of fire is based on a bad experience.
 
synonyms:
apprehension, dread, fright, terror
antonyms:
fearlessness
similar words:
alarm, anxiety, dismay, horror, panic, phobia, scare, tension
definition 2: something that causes such an emotion.
His greatest fear is of losing his parents.
synonyms:
fright, terror
similar words:
anxiety, horror, phobia, worry
 
part of speech: verb
inflections: fears, fearing, feared
definition 1: to be frightened of.
I fear high places.
synonyms:
dread
definition 2: to have a feeling that something unwanted is likely to happen or is likely to be true; suspect.
Kyle feared that he was being lied to.
similar words:
wonder
Word History
Fear comes from fere, an Old English word. Its earliest meaning, in the 700s, was "danger or peril." It was not used for the feeling of fear until the 1300s.
Word Builder: fear +
  • fearful:
    having or showing fear.
  • fearless:
    having or showing no fear.
Word Explorer
broader categories that include fear
conventionally associated with fear
feeling fear
similar to fear
some actions related to fear
some people associated with fear
some reactions to fear
some states of fear
some things that cause fear
without fear