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Webster 1913 Edition

Afraid

A-fraid′

,
p.
Adj.
[OE.
afrayed
,
affraide
, p. p. of
afraien
to affray. See
Affray
, and cf.
Afeard
.]
Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive.
[Afraid comes after the noun it limits.]
“Back they recoiled, afraid.”
Milton.
☞ This word expresses a less degree of fear than terrified or frightened. It is followed by of before the object of fear, or by the infinitive, or by a dependent clause; as, to be afraid of death. “I am afraid to die.” “I am afraid he will chastise me.” “Be not afraid that I your hand should take.”
Shak.
I am afraid is sometimes used colloquially to soften a statement; as, I am afraid I can not help you in this matter.
Syn. – Fearful; timid; timorous; alarmed; anxious.

Webster 1828 Edition

Afraid

AFRA'ID

,
Adj.
[The participle of affray.]
Impressed with fear or apprehension; fearful. This word expresses a less degree of fear than terrified or frightened. It is followed by of before the object of fear; as, to be afraid of death.
Joseph was afraid to sin against God.

Definition 2024

afraid

afraid

English

Adjective

afraid ‎(comparative more afraid, superlative most afraid)

  1. (usually used predicatively, not attributively) Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
    He is afraid of death.
    He is afraid to die.
    He is afraid that he will die.
  2. (colloquial) regretful, sorry
    I am afraid I can not help you in this matter.

Usage notes

  • (Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive): Afraid expresses a lesser degree of fear than terrified or frightened. It is often followed by the preposition of and the object of fear, or by an infinitive, or by a dependent clause, as shown in the examples above.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: die · arm · wrong · #646: afraid · merely · struck · man's

Welsh

Etymology

af- ‎(“un-”) +‎ rhaid ‎(“necessity”)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈavrai̯d/

Adjective

afraid ‎(feminine singular afraid, plural afraid, equative afreidied, comparative afreidiach, superlative afreidiaf)

  1. unnecessary, unessential
    • c. 1500, Ieuan Tew, poem in Cwrt Mawr manuscript no. 5, published and translated 1921 by T. Gwynn Jones, “Cultural Bases. A Study of the Tudor Period in Wales”, Y Cymmrodor. The Magazine of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, vol. 31, page 182:
      mogelwch yma golyn
      a fo goeg, ag afu gwyn—
      a choegddyn crin, ledryn crach,
      o fradwr—nid afreidiach;
      beware of the sting of white-livered wretches, and every withered, niggardly wretch of a traitor—it were not less necessary;
    • c. 1600, Edmwnd Prys, quoted in A Welsh Grammar, Historical and Comparative by J. Morris Jones, Oxford: 1913, p. 44:
      Amlwg fydd trŵyn a’r wyneb;
      Afraid i ni nodi neb.
      Plain is the nose on a face; it is unnecessary for us to mention anyone.

Noun

afraid m (plural afreidiau)

  1. superfluity, extravagance

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal h-prothesis
afraid unchanged unchanged hafraid
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Etymology

From Middle English affrayed, affraied, past participle of afraien ‎(“to affray”), from Anglo-Norman afrayer ‎(“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”), from Old French effreer, esfreer ‎(“to disturb, remove the peace from”), from es- ‎(“out”) + freer ‎(“to secure, secure the peace”), from Frankish *friþu ‎(“security, peace”), from Proto-Germanic *friþuz ‎(“peace”), from Proto-Germanic *frijōną ‎(“to free; to love”), from Proto-Indo-European *prāy-, *prēy- ‎(“to like, love”). Compare also afeard. More at free, friend.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /əˈfɹeɪd/
  • Rhymes: -eɪd

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