afraid

adjective
 
/əˈfreɪd/
/əˈfreɪd/
[not before noun]Idioms
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  1.  
     feeling fear; frightened because you think that you might be hurt or suffer 害怕，畏惧（可能受伤害、受苦）
    • Don't be afraid. 别怕。
    • afraid of somebody/something It's all over. There's nothing to be afraid of now. 一切都结束了。现在没有什么可怕的了。
    • He had always been afraid of death. 他一直害怕死亡。
    • They know I'm afraid of heights. 他们知道我恐高。
    • Are you afraid of spiders? 你怕蜘蛛吗？
    • afraid of doing something I started to feel afraid of going out alone at night. 我开始害怕夜间单独外出了。
    • afraid to do something She was afraid to open the door. 她不敢开门。
    Synonyms afraidafraid
    • 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. 没有什么要害怕的。
      • Aren’t you afraid (that) you’ll fall? 你不怕会跌倒吗？
    • frightened feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen:
      • a frightened child 受惊的孩子
      • She was frightened that the glass would break. 她担心玻璃会破碎。
    • scared (rather informal ) feeling fear; worried that something bad might happen: 指害怕、担心不幸的事可能发生：
      • The thieves got scared and ran away. 小偷慌张起来，都跑掉了。
    afraid, frightened or scared? 用 afraid、frightened 还是 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. 我很害怕她不来。
      • She looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. 她看着他，双目圆睁，充满恐惧。
    • alarmed afraid that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen:
      • She was alarmed at the prospect of travelling alone. 她一想到独自旅行的情景就害怕。
    • paranoid (rather informal) afraid of other people for no reason or suspecting that they are trying to harm you, when really they are not:
      • You’re just being paranoid. 你只是在疑神疑鬼。
    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.
    Extra Examples
    • What has made you so deeply afraid of your boss? 是什么让你这么害怕你的老板？
    • Are you afraid of the dark? 你怕黑吗？
    • Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. 别怕，我不会伤害你。
    • I'm not afraid of you! 我不怕你！
    Topics Feelingsa1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • rather
    • very
    • …
    preposition
    • for
    • of
    phrases
    • nothing to be afraid of
    See full entry
  2.  
     worried about what might happen 担心（会发生某事）
    • afraid of doing something She was afraid of upsetting her parents. 她担心会使她父母不安。
    • Tamsin was afraid of making a fool of herself. 塔姆辛害怕出丑。
    • afraid to do something Don't be afraid to ask if you don't understand. 你要是不懂，尽管问好了。
    • The boy wasn’t afraid to say what he believed. 这个男孩不怕说出他所相信的。
    • He certainly isn't afraid to speak his mind. 他当然不怕说出自己的想法。
    • afraid (that…) We were afraid (that) we were going to capsize the boat. 我们担心会把船弄翻。
    Extra Examples
    • He stopped abruptly, suddenly afraid to say the words out loud. 他一下子停住了，突然害怕大声说出那些话。
    • She was tense, almost afraid to open the letter. 她很紧张，几乎害怕打开那封信。
    • You do know, don't you? You are just afraid to tell me. 你知道，对吧？你只是不敢告诉我。
    • He was half afraid to look at her. 他有点儿害怕看她。
    • Aren't you afraid (that) you'll fall? 你不怕会跌倒吗？
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • rather
    • very
    • …
    preposition
    • for
    • of
    phrases
    • nothing to be afraid of
    See full entry
  3. afraid for somebody/something worried or frightened that something unpleasant, dangerous, etc. will happen to a particular person or thing 担心，生怕（将发生不快、不幸或危险的事）
    • I'm not afraid for me, but for the baby. 我担心的不是自己，而是婴儿。
    • Roger was very afraid for her. 罗杰非常担心她。
    • They had already fired three people and he was afraid for his job. 他们已经解雇了三人，所以他为他的工作担忧。
    • to be afraid for somebody's life/safety 担心某人的生命/安全
    Topics Dangera1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • rather
    • very
    • …
    preposition
    • for
    • of
    phrases
    • nothing to be afraid of
    See full entry
    More Like This Adjectives that do not come before a nounAdjectives that do not come before a noun
    4. Word OriginMiddle 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’.
Idioms
I’m afraid
 
  1. used as a polite way of telling somebody something that is unpleasant or disappointing, or that you are sorry about （礼貌地说出令人不快、失望或感到遗憾的事）我怕，恐怕，很遗憾，对不起
    • I can't help you, I'm afraid. 对不起，我帮不了你的忙。
    • I'm afraid we can't come. 很遗憾，我们来不了。
    • I'm afraid that it's not finished yet. 此事恐怕还没有完。
    • He's no better, I'm afraid to say. 我很抱歉地说，他一点也不见好转。
    • ‘Is there any left?’ ‘I'm afraid not.’ “还有剩的没有？” “恐怕没有。”
    • ‘Will it hurt?’ ‘I'm afraid so.’ “那痛不痛？” “恐怕会痛。”