Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
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afraid

adjective US /əˈfreɪd/

filled with fear or apprehension

How often you will meet it

Rank 521 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 37,903 times across 139,755 chapters — 0.018% of every word in the library.

It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.

What it means

adjective

  1. filled with fear or apprehension afraid even to turn his headsuddenly looked afraid
  2. filled with regret or concern; used often to soften an unpleasant statement I'm afraid I won't be able to comehe was afraid he would have to let her go
  3. feeling worry or concern or insecurity She was afraid that I might be embarrassedterribly afraid of offending someone
  4. having feelings of aversion or unwillingness afraid of hard workafraid to show emotion

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

afraid in real books

Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.

  • I am afraid I showed my surprise rather plainly.

    The Mysterious Affair at Styles · Agatha Christie · Chapter 1

  • I grew afraid and turned to quit the room.

    The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1

  • I hope he'll be taken--he's the nicest boy in the whole junior class--but I'm afraid.

    The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1

  • But the strong man was afraid of this woman's reproachful looks; he knew the captivating power that lay in her eyes.

    An Egyptian Princess — Volume 07 · Georg Ebers · Chapter 1

  • I asked him if he were afraid of you, and all he answered was: 'You and Bobby are thicker than thieves.'

    The Abandoned Room · Wadsworth Camp · Chapter 1

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