afraid vs. frightened vs. scared vs. terrified vs. alarmed vs. paranoid (draft)
Дата публикации: Aug 01, 2021 6:13:8 PM
afraid frightened scared terrified alarmed paranoid
These words all describe feeling or showing fear.
afraid [not before noun] feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen:There’s nothing to be afraid of. Aren’t you afraid (that) you’ll fall?
frightened feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen:a frightened child She was frightened that the glass would break.
scared (rather informal) feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen:The thieves got scared and ran away.
afraid, frightened or scared?
Scared is more informal, more common in speech, and often describes small fears.
Afraid cannot come before a noun. It can only take the preposition of, not about.
If you are afraid/frightened/scared of somebody/something/doing something or afraid/frightened/scared to do something, you think you are in danger of being hurt or suffering in some way.
If you are frightened/scared about something/doing something, it is less a fear for your personal safety and more a worry that something unpleasant might happen.
terrified very frightened:I was terrified (that) she wouldn’t come. She looked at him with wide, terrified eyes.
alarmed afraid that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen:She was alarmed at the prospect of travelling alone.
paranoid (rather informal) afraid or suspicious of other people and believing that they are trying to harm you, in a way that is not reasonable:You’re just being paranoid.
Patterns
afraid/frightened/scared of spiders, etc.
frightened/scared/paranoid about …
afraid/frightened/scared/terrified that …
afraid/frightened/scared to open the door, etc.
Don’t be afraid/frightened/scared/alarmed.
afraid
Word Origin
Middle English: past participle of the obsolete verb affray, from Anglo-Norman French afrayer ‘disturb, startle’, based on an element of Germanic origin related to Old English frithu ‘peace, safety’.
Adjectives that do not come before a noun
afloat addicted afraid alike alive alone ashamed asleep awake
+ see dread