afraid
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of AFRAID
not used before a noun
1
[more afraid; most afraid]
:
feeling fear: such as
a
:
worried that something will cause pain or injury
— often + of
-
Don't be afraid [=frightened, scared]—the dog won't hurt you.
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I don't like tall buildings because I'm afraid of heights. [=of being high up in the air]
-
He's afraid of snakes.
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All the kids at school were afraid of him.
b
:
nervous about doing something
— often + of
— often followed by to + verb
-
She's afraid of failing/failure.
-
He wasn't afraid of saying what he thought.
-
Don't be afraid of [=don't worry about] what everyone else thinks.
-
He wasn't afraid to say what he thought.
-
I wanted to visit her, but I was afraid to ask.
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Don't be afraid to take risks.
c
:
nervous or worried that something might happen
-
She's afraid (that) she might fail.
-
We were all afraid (that) she wouldn't live.
-
I'm afraid (that) everyone will laugh at me.
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I was afraid (that) you would say “no.”
2
— used in the phrase I'm afraid as a polite way of showing that you are sorry about a disappointing, negative, or critical statement
-
I'm sorry, but I'm afraid (that) I won't be able to come to your party.
-
She tries hard, but I'm afraid that her work just isn't very good.
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I'm afraid that I still don't understand the problem.
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This is only the beginning of the battle, I'm afraid.
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Most of us worked very hard, but she, I'm afraid to say [=I'm sorry to say; I regret to say], did no work at all.
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“Is it raining?” “I'm afraid so.” = “I'm afraid it is.” [=yes, it is]
-
“Can you come to our party?” “I'm afraid not.” = “I'm afraid I can't.” [=no, I can't come]
3
— used with not to say that someone is willing to do something
— often + of
— often followed by to + verb
-
She's not afraid of hard work. = She's not afraid of working hard. [=she's willing to work hard; she works hard]
-
You can't be afraid of getting dirty in this job. [=you have to be willing to get dirty in this job]
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She's not afraid to work hard.
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He's not afraid to admit his mistakes.
afraid for
:
feeling fear or worry about (something or someone)
-
I'm afraid for the children.
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They were afraid for their lives. [=they feared for their lives; they were afraid that they might die]
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He's afraid for his job. [=he's worried that he might lose his job]
