Dictionary

afeard en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /əˈfɪə(ɹ)d/

Etymology

From afear + -ed.

Meanings

1. (archaic, dialectal) Afraid.
   • So, afeard that the like might happin agin, he med a grab at the Leprechaun, an' cotch him up in his hand, but in his hurry he ovirset the pitcher, and spilt all the beer, so that he couldn't git a taste uv it to tell what sort it was. 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 375:
   • Pray you pass with your best violence; I am afeard you make a wanton of me. c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
   • I feel as if something’s behind me all the time; and I’m afeard to turn around, becuz maybe there’s others in front a-waiting for a chance. 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXV, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 197:
   • He's afeard of you, Luke. Don't you know that? 2009, John Hough, Jr., Seen the Glory (Fiction), Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 192:

Forms

Deriveds

unafeard

Relateds

afear