1
: filled with fear or apprehension
afraid of machines
was afraid for his job
2
: filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation
I'm afraid I won't be able to go.
3
: having a dislike for something
She's not afraid of hard work. [=she's not unwilling to work hard]
Examples of afraid in a Sentence
Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago.
Recent Examples on the Web
Moreover, Rocket has a relatively new CEO who wants to dominate the mortgage industry and is not afraid of technology, previously working at Intuit, PayPal, Groupon and Microsoft.
—
Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 24 May 2025
The youngest cast member at the time, Williams set the tone for the raw emotion the show was not afraid to show over the years.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 24 May 2025
Jessica Biel worries about losing Whoopi Goldberg's friendship due to shower eating
Jessica Biel explains being afraid of '7th Heaven' sister Beverley Mitchell
Biel wasn't the only famous face to lose out on the role.
—EW.com, 23 May 2025
After 20 years, Mission: Impossible is no longer afraid to show Cruise crazy in love again.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 24 May 2025
The youngest cast member at the time, Williams set the tone for the raw emotion the show was not afraid to show over the years.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 24 May 2025
Jessica Biel worries about losing Whoopi Goldberg's friendship due to shower eating
Jessica Biel explains being afraid of '7th Heaven' sister Beverley Mitchell
Biel wasn't the only famous face to lose out on the role.
—EW.com, 23 May 2025
After 20 years, Mission: Impossible is no longer afraid to show Cruise crazy in love again.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for afraid
Cite this Entry
“Afraid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afraid. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
afraid
adjective
ə-ˈfrād 
Southern also -ˈfre(ə)d
1
: filled with fear or dread
afraid of snakes
2
: filled with concern or regret
afraid she might be late
3
: having a dislike for something
not afraid to work hard
Etymology
Middle English affraied "filled with fear," from affraien "to frighten," from early French affraier, effreer "to frighten" — related to fray entry 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share