fearful

UK: /ˈfɪə^rfʊl/ US: /ˈfɪrfəl/ ,(fēr′fəl)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

fear•ful /ˈfɪrfəl/   adj. 

1. causing fear;
   frightening:
   fearful apparitions.
2. feeling fear, dread, or apprehension;
   anxious:
   I was fearful about the exam.
3. extreme in size, intensity, or badness:
   [before a noun] a fearful blizzard.

fear•ful•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

fear•ful  (fēr′fəl), adj. 

1. causing or apt to cause fear;
   frightening:
   a fearful apparition.
2. feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude:
   fearful for his life; fearful lest he commit suicide.
3. full of awe or reverence:
   fearful of the Lord.
4. showing or caused by fear:
   fearful behavior.
5. extreme in size, intensity, or badness:
   a fearful head cold; fearful poverty.

• Middle English ferful. See fear, -ful 1300–50

fear′ful•ly, adv. 
fear′ful•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. afraid, timid, timorous, apprehensive, uneasy, distrustful; solicitous, anxious, concerned, worried.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fearful / ˈfɪəfʊl/ adjective

1. having fear; afraid
2. causing fear; frightening
3. very unpleasant or annoying: a fearful cold

ˈfearfulness noun