fear·ful

[feer-fuhl]
adjective
1.
causing or apt to cause fear; frightening: a fearful apparition.
2.
feeling fear, dread, apprehension, or solicitude: fearful for his life; fearful lest he commit suicide.
3.
full of awe or reverence: fearful of the Lord.
4.
showing or caused by fear: fearful behavior.
5.
extreme in size, intensity, or badness: a fearful head cold; fearful poverty.
Relevant Questions

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English ferful. See fear, -ful

fear·ful·ly, adverb
fear·ful·ness, noun
o·ver·fear·ful, adjective
o·ver·fear·ful·ly, adverb
o·ver·fear·ful·ness, noun
pre·fear·ful, adjective
pre·fear·ful·ly, adverb
un·fear·ful, adjective
un·fear·ful·ly, adverb
un·fear·ful·ness, noun

fearful, fearsome.


2. afraid, timid, timorous, apprehensive, uneasy, distrustful; solicitous, anxious, concerned, worried.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To fearful
00:10
Fearful is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
fearful (ˈfɪəfʊl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  having fear; afraid
2.  causing fear; frightening
3.  informal very unpleasant or annoying: a fearful cold
 
'fearfulness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

fearful
mid-14c., causing fear, from fear + -ful. Meaning full of fear, timid (now rare) is from mid-14c. As a mere emphatic, from 1630s. Related: Fearfully; fearfulness-.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Psychologists have known for some time that it is difficult to treat fearful
  memories with therapy.
Furthermore, it is not indicating he is wrong because he is ignorant and
  fearful.
It really is up to us to control ourselves, to make the dogs learn to be less
  fearful.
But in the end his fear of appearing fearful overcame his caution.
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