fear

I. verb Etymology: Middle English feren, from Old English fǣran, from fǣr Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. archaic frighten 2. archaic to feel fear in (oneself) 3. to have a reverential awe of <

fear God

> 4. to be afraid of ; expect with alarm <

fear the worst

> intransitive verb to be afraid or apprehensive <

feared for their lives

> • fearer noun II. noun Etymology: Middle English fer, from Old English fǣr sudden danger; akin to Old High German fāra ambush and perhaps to Latin periculum attempt, peril, Greek peiran to attempt Date: 12th century 1. a. an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger b. (1) an instance of this emotion (2) a state marked by this emotion 2. anxious concern ; solicitude 3. profound reverence and awe especially toward God 4. reason for alarm ; danger Synonyms: fear, dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, trepidation mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger. fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage <

fear of the unknown

>. dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety <

faced the meeting with dread

>. fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear <

fright at being awakened suddenly

>. alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger <

view the situation with alarm

>. panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity <

the news caused widespread panic

>. terror implies the most extreme degree of fear <

immobilized with terror

>. trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation <

raised the subject with trepidation

>.