fearfulness

noun

Definition of fearfulnessnext
as in fear
the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger a vet who was adept at easing the fearfulness of her animal patients

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearfulness
  1. fear
  2. anxiety
  3. dread
Noun
  • The frenzy followed Beijing’s decision in the mid-1980s to ban imports of almost all blood products – except human albumin – amid growing fears over the global HIV/AIDS crisis.
    — CNN Staff, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Now, as my anxiety climbed, the smell was becoming inseparable from the fear.
    — Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of fear
Noun
  • Now, as my anxiety climbed, the smell was becoming inseparable from the fear.
    — Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
  • After years of stomach-gurgling, nail-chewing anxiety, this was an entirely different Arsenal experience.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of anxiety
Noun
  • Sometime after midnight, Hood felt a sense of dread that didn’t let up until the early morning hours.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Both movies share more than a few qualities, notably the same love of infinite interzones and the same flavor of exponentially increasing existential dread.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of dread
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Fearfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearfulness. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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