Definition of fearful

fearfuladjective

sợ hãi

/ˈfɪəfl//ˈfɪrfl/

The word "fearful" originates from the Old English word "fæger," meaning "beautiful" or "fair." This might seem counterintuitive, but it evolved through a process called semantic shift. Over time, "fæger" came to mean "pleasant" or "desirable," and then, through association with things that were "pleasant" but also potentially dangerous, it shifted to mean "dreadful" or "terrible." The transition to "fearful" came about as "fæger" was combined with the Old English word "fēor," meaning "fear," leading to "fægerful," which later became "fearful." So, while the word's modern meaning seems far removed from its original sense, the journey illustrates the dynamic nature of language and its ability to evolve with cultural shifts and changing societal perspectives.

Summary
type tính từ
meaningghê sợ, đáng sợ
meaningsợ, sợ hãi, sợ sệt
examplea fearful look: vẻ sợ hãi
meaninge ngại
namespace

nervous and afraid

lo lắng và sợ hãi

Example:
  • Parents are ever fearful for their children.

    Cha mẹ luôn lo sợ cho con cái mình.

  • fearful of an attack

    sợ bị tấn công

  • Fearful of continued unrest, the government imposed a state of emergency.

    Lo sợ tình trạng bất ổn tiếp diễn, chính phủ đã áp đặt tình trạng khẩn cấp.

  • They were understandably fearful about the future.

    Họ lo sợ về tương lai là điều dễ hiểu.

  • She was fearful that she would fail.

    Cô sợ rằng mình sẽ thất bại.

Extra examples:
  • I felt fearful for my life.

    Tôi cảm thấy lo sợ cho cuộc sống của mình.

  • Fearful of an attack, the government declared a state of emergency.

    Lo sợ bị tấn công, chính phủ đã ban bố tình trạng khẩn cấp.

  • The experience had left her fearful and uncertain.

    Trải nghiệm đó khiến cô sợ hãi và không chắc chắn.

terrible and frightening

khủng khiếp và đáng sợ

extremely bad

thực sự rất tồi tệ

Example:
  • We made a fearful mess of the room.

    Chúng tôi đã làm căn phòng trở nên lộn xộn một cách đáng sợ.

Related words and phrases