fearful en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈfiəfʊl/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈfɪjəfəl/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- [ˈfɪɚfəl] (General-American)
- /ˈfɪəfəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈfɛːfəl/ East Anglia, cheer–chair merger
- /ˈfɪːfɵl/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈfɜː(ɹ)fʊl/ (obsolete)
- /ˈfɪjəfɵl/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- [ˈfɪɚfʊl] (General-American)
- /ˈfɪɹfʊl/ (General-American)
- /ˈfiɾfəl/ (Scotland)
- /ˈfɪɹfəl/ (General-American)
- /ˈfɛːfʊl/ East Anglia, cheer–chair merger
- /ˈfɪːfəl/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈfiəfəl/ (New-Zealand)
- (US) audio
- /ˈfɜː(ɹ)fəl/ (obsolete)
- /ˈfiɾfʉl/ (Scotland)
- /ˈfɪəfʊl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English ferful, fervol, equivalent to fear + -ful.
Meanings
-
Frightening; causing fear.
Sirs, stop their mouths, let them not speak to me, But let them hear what fearful words I utter.
c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:In the later Hebrew midrash Lilith is presented as the woman who knows how to recite the fearful name of God to work calamity; that this little girl cries out the fearful name of the sun god and thereby causes an earthquake would indicate that this girl is linked in the structure of the myth with Lilith.
1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 184:
-
Tending to fear; timid.
a fearful boy
-
(dated) Terrible; shockingly bad.
But every day after dinner, for an hour, we were all together, and then the Favourite and the rest of the Royal Hareem competed who should most beguile the leisure of the Serene Haroun reposing from the cares of State — which were generally, as in most affairs of State, of an arithmetical character, the Commander of the Faithful being a fearful boggler at a sum.
1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:"What an awful infliction for you, Max. You were always such an impulsive, reckless sort of fellow—never quiet. You must miss such a fearful lot."
1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
-
(archaic) Frightened; filled with terror.
kings ſhall crouch vnto our conquering ſwords, And hoſtes of Souldiers ſtand amazd at vs, When with their fearfull tongues they ſhall confeſſe Theſe are the men that al the world admires,
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:Those two great champions did attonce pursew / The fearefull damzell with incessant payns […]
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more fearful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most fearful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| fearfull | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| fearefull | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
be fearful when others are greedy · fearfulness · unfearful · be greedy when others are fearful · overfearful
Synonyms
timorous (frightened) · frightened (frightened) · timid (frightened)
Translations (133)
okm 두립〮다〮 (frightening) · uk стра́шний (frightening) · es miedoso (frightened, filled with terror) · sq trembur (frightened, filled with terror) · bg страхлив (tending to fear) · cs vystrašený (frightened, filled with terror) · cs hrozný (frightening) · fr peureux (tending to fear) · fr affreux (terrible) · hy երկչոտ (tending to fear) · la pavidus (tending to fear) · nl schuw (tending to fear) · mk страшлив (tending to fear) · el φοβερός (frightening) · pt amedrontador (frightening) · it spaventato (frightened, filled with terror) · cs strašlivý (terrible) · uk жахли́вий (terrible) · got 𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (frightening) · kk жүрексіз (tending to fear) · cs hrozný (terrible) · vo dredabik (frightening) · sh prèplašen (tending to fear) · ga scanrúil (tending to fear) · cs bázlivý (tending to fear) · la timidus (tending to fear) · grc τρήρων (tending to fear) · ko 두렵다 (frightening) · es timorato (tending to fear) · grc δειλός (tending to fear) · ro groaznic (terrible) · fi pelokas (tending to fear) · gl medoñento (tending to fear) · fr redoutable (frightening) · nl bang (tending to fear) · de furchtbar (frightening) · grc φοβερός (frightening) · la timidus (frightening) · bg ужасен (terrible) · ru пугли́вый (frightened, filled with terror) · es espantadizo (tending to fear) · el φοβισμένος (frightened, filled with terror) · es tímido (tending to fear) · gl medoso (tending to fear) · vi sợ hãi (frightened, filled with terror) · fi peloissaan (frightened, filled with terror) · fr peureux (frightened, filled with terror) · ru ужа́сный (frightening) · cs děsivý (frightening) · ko 무섭다 (frightening) · pdt forchtsom (frightening) · kix yám (tending to fear) · ru стра́шный (frightening) · be бая́зны (frightened, filled with terror) · okm 저프다〮 (frightening) · pdt enjstlich (tending to fear) · it pavido (frightened, filled with terror) · nl vreesachtig (tending to fear) · yue 惵 (frightened, filled with terror) · lv nobijies (frightened, filled with terror) · bg боязлив (tending to fear) · pt temeroso (tending to fear) · la pavidus (frightened, filled with terror) · tr korkulu (terrible) · la dirus (frightening) · cs lekavý (tending to fear) · nl verlegen (tending to fear) · bg уплашен (frightened, filled with terror) · fr terrible (terrible) · el τρομακτικός (frightening) · pl strachliwy (tending to fear) · cs strašlivý (frightening) · pdt schietrich (tending to fear) · fi pelottava (frightening) · sa भीम (frightening) · de furchtbar (terrible) · tr korkulu (frightening) · mi uruwehi (frightened, filled with terror) · kk үркек (tending to fear) · mi ihiihi (frightened, filled with terror) · cmn 惵 (frightened, filled with terror) · bg изплашен (frightened, filled with terror) · ga faiteach (tending to fear) · ota یوركسز (tending to fear) · tr çekingen (tending to fear) · vi đáng sợ (frightening) · vi sợ sệt (frightened, filled with terror) · de ängstlich (tending to fear) · gv faitagh (frightened, filled with terror) · sh прѐплашен (tending to fear) · cs děsivý (terrible) · la meticulosus (frightening) · fr effrayant (frightening) · nl angstig (tending to fear) · ru ужа́сный (terrible) · tr ürkek (tending to fear) · cs hrozivý (frightening) · it timido (tending to fear) · lv biedējošs (frightening) · sq frikacak (tending to fear) · gl medoñento (frightening) · tr korkmuş (frightened, filled with terror) · ga scanrúil (frightening) · kk жасқаншақ (tending to fear) · kix hāh (frightening) · uk боязкий (tending to fear) · el τρομερός (terrible) · bg страшен (frightening) · la timidus (frightened, filled with terror) · cs ochromený strachem (frightened, filled with terror) · fr timoré (tending to fear) · de scheu (tending to fear) · pt amedrontado (frightened, filled with terror) · fi hirveä (terrible) · vi sợ (frightened, filled with terror) · ga anbhách (frightened, filled with terror) · it impaurito (frightened, filled with terror) · ar خَوَّاف (tending to fear) · lv baismīgs (frightening) · sh plàšljiv (tending to fear) · ru испу́ганный (frightened, filled with terror) · es temeroso (frightened, filled with terror) · hu félénk (tending to fear) · de furchtsam (tending to fear) · hy երկչոտ (frightened, filled with terror) · el φοβερός (terrible) · got 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐍃 (frightened, filled with terror) · sh пла̀шљив (tending to fear) · ru боязливый (tending to fear) · da frygtsom (tending to fear) · okm 므ᅀᅴ〮엽다〮 (frightening) · fr craintif (tending to fear) · de verängstigt (frightened, filled with terror)