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fear
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- pronunciation:
- fir
- parts of speech:
- noun, verb
- features:
- Word History, Word Builder, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
Fear is the feeling of being afraid. It is a feeling you get when you think there is danger and something painful or very bad might happen.
Amy has a fear of snakes. She always thinks they will bite her.My cousin says he never feels fear, but I know thunder always scares him.
- synonyms:
- fright, terror
- similar words:
- alarm, anxiety, horror, panic, scare, tension
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| definition 2: |
A fear is the thing that you think will bring danger or pain.
Charlie's greatest fear is of losing his friends.- synonyms:
- terror
- similar words:
- anxiety, horror, worry
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| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
fears, fearing, feared |
| definition 1: |
When you fear something, you are afraid of it. You think it will cause you pain or harm.
Risa fears going down in her basement, especially at night when it's dark. |
| definition 2: |
When you fear that you failed a test, you think it is likely that you failed it, and you know this is not a good thing.
Alice's mother feared that she would be late to her appointment.- similar words:
- wonder
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| related words: |
doubt |
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.
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broader categories that include fear |
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behavior, emotion, feeling |
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conventionally associated with fear |
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ghost, Halloween, monster, mummy, nightmare, scarecrow |
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feeling fear |
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afraid, anxious, nervous, shaky, timid |
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similar to fear |
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anxiety |
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some actions related to fear |
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faint, flee, hide, pale, scream, shiver, shrink, start, startle, sweat, tremble, whine, yell |
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some people associated with fear |
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baby, chicken, coward |
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some reactions to fear |
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face |
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some states of fear |
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alarm, fright, horror, panic, shock, terror |
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some things that cause fear |
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change, death, failure, loss, pain, separation, surprise |
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without fear |
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bold, brave, calm, confident, courageous, daring, secure |
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