Afraid
/əˈfreɪd/
adjectiveBeginnerVery CommonGeneral
Idiom
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
Experiencing fear or anxiety.
/əˈfreɪd/
adjectivenegativeBeginner
General
Feeling fear or apprehension.
She was afraid of the dark.
💡 Simply: Scared or worried.
More Examples
2
He was afraid to tell her the truth.
How It's Used
Everyday conversation
"I'm afraid of spiders."
Literature
"He was afraid to face the consequences."
Idioms & expressions
I'm afraid so
Yes, unfortunately.
"'Is it going to rain?' 'I'm afraid so.'"
From Old English *afrægd, past participle of *afrǣgan, meaning "to frighten." The word has evolved over time, maintaining its core meaning of experiencing fear.
The word 'afraid' has been used consistently throughout history to denote fear or apprehension, appearing in various forms in Old English and Middle English literature.
Memory tip
Afraid sounds like 'a-fraid', which implies one is not a-friend to the source of their fear.
Practice
Base: fear
afriadafradeafrayed
Usage
60%Spoken
40%Written