Fearful Definition & Meaning

fearful
adjective
  1. experiencing or showing fear; "a fearful glance"; "fearful of criticism"
  2. causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse"
  3. lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley
  4. extremely distressing; "fearful slum conditions"; "a frightful mistake"
  5. timid by nature or revealing timidity; "timorous little mouse"; "in a timorous tone"; "cast fearful glances at the large dog"

Synonyms for fearful

alarming adj

frightening because of an awareness of danger

♫ Rhymes ↔ Synonyms
awful adv

used as intensifiers; "terribly interesting"; "I'm awful sorry" exceptionally bad or displeasing; "atrocious taste

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bad adv

with great intensity (`bad' is a nonstandard variant for `badly'); "the injury hurt badly

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caitiff adj

despicably mean and cowardly a cowardly and despicable person

♫ Rhymes
chicken adj

easily frightened the flesh of a chicken used for food a domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs

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chickenhearted adj

easily frightened

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coward noun

a person who shows fear or timidity English dramatist and actor and composer noted for his witty and sophisticated

♫ Rhymes
cowardly adj

lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley

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craven adj

lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; "the craven fellow turned and ran

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dastardly adj

despicably cowardly; "the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on...December 7th"- F.D. Roosevelt

♫ Rhymes

"Fearful" in song lyrics

See how fearful is used in real songs:

  • "Mock me fearful"
    Aesop Rock f/ Dose One — Drawbridge
  • "You get an earful of the fearful"
    George Clinton f/ Digital Underground — Rhythm and Rhyme
  • "Frigidy, frantic fightin Feds feelin fearful"
    DJ KaySlay f/ Papoose — Alphabetical Slaughter

Words that rhyme with fearful

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Usage tips for "fearful"

Understanding the precise definition of a word helps you use it with confidence. When using "fearful" in your writing, consider whether you need the word itself or one of its synonyms — subtle differences in meaning can change the tone of a sentence. If you're writing poetry or song lyrics, check the rhymes for fearful to find words that pair well.

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♫ Rhymes with fearful ↔ Synonyms for fearful 🔬 Words containing fearful

Frequently asked questions

What does fearful mean?
experiencing or showing fear; "a fearful glance"; "fearful of criticism" causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse" lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
What part of speech is fearful?
Fearful is an adjective.
How many definitions does fearful have?
Fearful has 5 definitions across 1 part of speech (adjective).

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