What does "fear" mean?
A strong, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
Fear
/fɪə/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A strong, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
- Grammar: fear is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: awe, fright, reverence, veneration.
- Useful contrasts: fearless, public speaking, spanish tranquilidad.
- Usage evidence: I have a great fear of being disdained by those I love and care about.
How to use "fear"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fear" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fear" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fear" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fear" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fear" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "awe" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fear", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A strong, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat. uncountable
"He was struck by fear on seeing the snake."
- 2 an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight) wordnet
- 3 A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone in particular. countable
"Not everybody has the same fears."
- 4 a feeling of profound respect for someone or something wordnet
- 5 Something one is afraid of; the object of one’s fear. countable
"Spiders are my greatest fear."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 an anxious feeling wordnet
- 7 Terrified veneration or reverence, particularly towards God, gods, or sovereigns. uncountable
"The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome."
- 8 A feeling of dread and anxiety when waking after drinking a lot of alcohol, wondering what one did while drunk. UK, countable, uncountable, with-definite-article
"Her feeling of humiliation had intensified as the day had gone on and her hangover had worsened. She now also had 'the fear' to contend with, […]"
Verb
- 1 To be afraid of (something or someone); to consider or expect (something or someone) with alarm. transitive
"I fear the worst will happen."
- 2 regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of wordnet
- 3 To feel fear. intransitive
"Never fear; help is always near."
- 4 be afraid or scared of; be frightened of wordnet
- 5 To worry about, to feel concern for, to be afraid for [with for]. intransitive
"She fears for her son’s safety."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 be uneasy or apprehensive about wordnet
- 7 To venerate; to feel awe towards. transitive
"People who fear God can be found in Christian churches."
- 8 be sorry; used to introduce an unpleasant statement wordnet
- 9 To regret. transitive
"I fear I have bad news for you: your husband has died."
- 10 be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event wordnet
- 11 To cause fear to; to frighten. obsolete, transitive
"Thenne the knyghte sayd to syre Gawayn / bynde thy wounde or thy blee chaunge / for thou bybledest al thy hors and thy fayre armes /[…]/ For who someuer is hurte with this blade he shalle neuer be staunched of bledynge / Thenne ansuerd gawayn hit greueth me but lytyl / thy grete wordes shalle not feare me ne lasse my courage"
- 12 To be anxious or solicitous for. obsolete, transitive
"Fearst thou thy person? thou shalt haue a guard:"
- 13 To suspect; to doubt. obsolete, transitive
"Fear you not her courage?"
Adjective
- 1 Able; capable; stout; strong; sound. dialectal
"hale and fear"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"I have a great fear of being disdained by those I love and care about."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fear"?
Common synonyms include: awe, fright, reverence, veneration, abulia, afeared.
How do you use "fear" in a sentence?
I have a great fear of being disdained by those I love and care about.
How do you pronounce "fear"?
Pronounced /fɪə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English feer, fere, fer, from Old English fǣr, ġefǣr (“calamity, sudden danger, peril, sudden attack, terrible sight”), from Proto-Germanic *fērō, *fērą (“danger”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through, carry forth, try”). Cognate with Dutch gevaar (“danger, risk, peril”), German Gefahr (“danger, risk, hazard”), Swedish fara (“danger, risk, peril”), Latin perīculum (“danger, risk, trial”). Doublet of peril. The verb is from Middle English feren, from Old English fǣran (“to frighten, raven”), from the noun. Cognate with the archaic Dutch verb varen (“to fear; to cause fear”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English fere, feore, from Old English fēre (“able to go, fit for service”), from Proto-Germanic *fēriz (“passable”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to put across, ferry”). Cognate with Scots fere, feir (“well, active, sound”), Middle High German gevüere (“able, capable, fit, serviceable”), Swedish för (“capable, able, stout”), Icelandic fær (“able”). Related to fare.
Etymology 3
* As an English surname, from an obsolete noun meaning "traveler," represented in the second half of Old English gefera (“comrade, companion”). * Also as an English surname, from the root of the adjective fierce, and occasionally from the noun fear. * Also as an English surname, from the noun ferry. * Occasionally as an English surname of Norman origin, from La Fère in Aisne, possibly from Latin feretrum (“bier”).