fear

Meanings

Noun

• A strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
• A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone.
• Terrified veneration or reverence, particularly towards God, gods, or sovereigns.

Verb

• To feel fear about (something or someone); to be afraid of; to consider or expect with alarm.
• To feel fear (about something).
• To worry about, to feel concern for, to be afraid for.
• To venerate; to feel awe towards.
• To regret.
• To cause fear to; to frighten.
• To be anxious or solicitous for.
• To suspect; to doubt.

Adjective

• Able; capable; stout; strong; sound.

Related

Similar words

• dread
• be afraid of, be frightened of, be scared of, be terrorised/terrorized
• be in awe of, revere, venerate

Opposite words

• belittle, contemn

Origin

• From Middle English feer, fere, fer, from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr, from Proto-Germanic *fērō, *fērą, from Proto-Indo-European *per-. Cognate with Dutch gevaar, German Gefahr, Swedish fara, Latin perīculum, Albanian frikë, Romanian frică.
• The verb is from Middle English feren, from Old English fǣran, from the noun. Cognate with the archaic Dutch verb varen.
• From Middle English fere, feore, from Old English fēre, from Proto-Germanic *fōriz, from Proto-Indo-European *per-. Cognate with Scots fere, feir, Middle High German gevüere, Swedish för, Icelandic færr. Related to fare.