Afraid

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Afraid \A*fraid"\, p. a. [OE. afrayed, affraide, p. p. of
     afraien to affray. See {Affray}, and cf. {Afeard}.]
     Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive.
     [Afraid comes after the noun it limits.] "Back they recoiled,
     afraid." --Milton.
     [1913 Webster]


  
     Note: This word expresses a less degree of fear than
           terrified or frightened. It is followed by of before
           the object of fear, or by the infinitive, or by a
           dependent clause; as, to be afraid of death. "I am
           afraid to die." "I am afraid he will chastise me." "Be
           not afraid that I your hand should take." --Shak. I am
           afraid is sometimes used colloquially to soften a
           statement; as, I am afraid I can not help you in this
           matter.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Fearful; timid; timorous; alarmed; anxious.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  afraid
       adj 1: filled with fear or apprehension; "afraid even to turn his
              head"; "suddenly looked afraid"; "afraid for his
              life"; "afraid of snakes"; "afraid to ask questions"
              [syn: {afraid(p)}] [ant: {unafraid(p)}]
       2: filled with regret or concern; used often to soften an
          unpleasant statement; "I'm afraid I won't be able to
          come"; "he was afraid he would have to let her go"; "I'm
          afraid you're wrong"
       3: feeling worry or concern or insecurity; "She was afraid that
          I might be embarrassed"; "terribly afraid of offending
          someone"; "I am afraid we have witnessed only the first
          phase of the conflict"
       4: having feelings of aversion or unwillingness; "afraid of
          hard work"; "affaid to show emotion"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  88 Moby Thesaurus words for "afraid":
     abulic, afeared, aghast, anxious, apologetic, apprehensive, averse,
     backward, cautious, chary, chicken, chickenhearted, coward,
     cowardly, cowed, craven, daunted, dismayed, edgy, faint,
     fainthearted, fear-struck, feared, fearful, feeble, feebleminded,
     frail, frightened, fritter, funking, funky, haunted with fear,
     henhearted, hesitant, indisposed, infirm, intimidated,
     invertebrate, jittery, jumpy, lily-livered, loath, milk-livered,
     milksoppish, milksoppy, mousy, nervous, on edge, overtimid,
     overtimorous, panic-prone, panic-stricken, panicky, pigeonhearted,
     pliable, pusillanimous, rabbity, regretful, reluctant, rueful,
     scared, scared to death, scary, shrinking, shy, sissified, sissy,
     skittish, soft, sorry, spineless, spooked, terrified, timid,
     timorous, uneager, unhappy, unmanly, unmanned, unwilling, wary,
     weak, weak-kneed, weak-minded, weak-willed, weakhearted,
     white-livered, yellow