Synonyms for fear
- noun
- verb
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Trepidation
trepidation, concern, fright, terror, anxiety, horror, apprehension, panic, fearfulness, worry, dismay, uneasiness, unease, timidity, misgiving, diffidence, consternation, alarm, care, solicitude, disquietude rare
2. Awe
3. Heebie-jeebies
heebie-jeebies informal US, creeps informal, willies informal
Other
dread, cowardice, mate, cowardliness rare, hangxiety rare, neurophobia rare
Verb
Definitions
- n. 1
A strong, unpleasant emotion or feeling caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
He was struck by fear on seeing the snake.
- n. 2
A phobia, a sense of fear induced by something or someone in particular.
Not everybody has the same fears.
- n. 3
Something one is afraid of; the object of one’s fear.
Spiders are my greatest fear.
- v. 1
To venerate; to feel awe towards.
People who fear God can be found in Christian churches.
Related words
- Word family
- fearfest fearful fearless fearsome
- Phrases
- snake fear night fear no fear water fear fear not fear campaign never fear
- Is a kind of
- emotion
- Other spellings
- feer US fere UK
Choose the right word
Affright and fright express sudden fear which, for the time at least, overwhelms courage. Timidity is a quality, habit, or condition, a readiness to be affected with fear.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- concern Money is without a doubt my most pressing concern.
- terror The frightened boy's heart palpitated with terror.
- fright A little stage fright is normal before a concert.
- trepidation We are waiting with trepidation to be proved wrong.
- mate I never thought I'd be lucky enough to get a mate.
- dread My feelings of dread of being watched were strong.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| fear | rising | |
| concern | steady | |
| terror | rising | |
| fright | rising | |
| trepidation | rising | |
| mate | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- awe1
- 4 letters
- care1, mate1
- 5 letters
- worry2, panic2, alarm2, dread1
- 6 letters
- horror2, terror2, creeps1, fright1, dismay2, revere2, unease2
- 7 letters
- concern2, anxiety4, willies
- 8 letters
- timidity4, venerate3
- 9 letters
- reverence3, cowardice3, apprehend3, terrorize3, terrorise, misgiving3, hangxiety
- 10 letters
- veneration4, uneasiness4, solicitude4, diffidence
- 11 letters
- trepidation4, fearfulness, disquietude, neurophobia
- 12 letters
- apprehension4, cowardliness
- 13 letters
- consternation4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (worry2 = 2 syllables).