noun
- An emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight.
- synonyms: fearfulness, fright
- An anxious feeling.
- usage: "care had aged him"; "they hushed it up out of fear of public reaction"
- A feeling of profound respect for someone or something.
- usage: "the fear of God"; "the Chinese reverence for the dead"; "the French treat food with gentle reverence"; "his respect for the law bordered on veneration"
- synonyms: reverence, awe, veneration
verb
- Be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event.
- usage: "I fear she might get aggressive"
- Be afraid or scared of; be frightened of.
- usage: "I fear the winters in Moscow"; "We should not fear the Communists"
- synonyms: dread
- Be sorry; used to introduce an unpleasant statement.
- usage: "I fear I won't make it to your wedding party"
- Be uneasy or apprehensive about.
- usage: "I fear the results of the final exams"
- Regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of.
- usage: "Fear God as your father"; "We venerate genius"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). fear. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/fear/definitions/1220167 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "fear" http://smartdefine.org/fear/definitions/1220167 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, fear, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/fear/definitions/1220167>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "fear" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/fear/definitions/1220167> |