afraid
pronunciation
How to pronounce afraid in British English:
UK [əˈfreɪd]
How to pronounce afraid in American English:
US [əˈfreɪd]
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- Adjective:
- filled with fear or apprehension
- filled with regret or concern; used often to soften an unpleasant statement
- feeling worry or concern or insecurity
- having feelings of aversion or unwillingness
Word Origin
- afraid (adj.)
- early 14c., originally past participle of verb afray "frighten," from Anglo-French afrayer, Old French esfreer "to worry, concern, trouble, disturb" (see affray (n.)). A rare case of an English adjective that never stands before a noun. Because it was used in A.V. Bible, it acquired independent standing and thrived while affray faded, and it chased off the once more common afeared. Sense in I'm afraid "I regret to say, I suspect" (without implication of fear) is first recorded 1590s.Her blue affrayed eyes wide open shone [Keats, "The Eve of St. Agnes," 1820]
Example
- 1. I am afraid to say that I pulled rank .
- 2. It is hard to float when you are afraid .
- 3. The answer seems to be that washington remains deathly afraid of the n-word - nationalization .
- 4. I am afraid he still sees medicine as a science .
- 5. I 'm afraid you face five major ones .