afraidadj.n.

Brit.

/əˈfreɪd/, U.S.

/əˈfreɪd/

Forms:

α. Middle English affred, Middle English afreyd, Middle English–1600s affraide, Middle English–1600s affrayde, Middle English–1600s afraide, Middle English–1600s afrayd, Middle English–1600s afrayde, Middle English–1700s affraid, Middle English– afraid, 1500s–1600s affrayd, 1500s–1600s afrade, 1600s afrai'd, 1800s afreed (U.S. regional), 1800s– afred (U.S. regional), 1900s– afread (English regional (Lincolnshire)); Scottish pre-1700 affraid, pre-1700 affrait, pre-1700 affrayd, pre-1700 affrayde, pre-1700 affrayt, pre-1700 affreyde, pre-1700 afrayt, pre-1700 effraid, pre-1700 effrait, pre-1700 effrayt, pre-1700 1700s– afraid, 1800s effrey't.

β. Middle English affrayede, Middle English affrayet (north-west midlands, in a late copy), Middle English afrayet (north-west midlands), Middle English–1600s affraied, Middle English–1600s afraied, Middle English–1600s afrayed, Middle English–1700s (1800s– poetic) affrayed; also Scottish pre-1700 affrayed, pre-1700 affrayid, pre-1700 affrayit, pre-1700 affrayyt, pre-1700 afrayed, pre-1700 afrayet, pre-1700 afrayit, pre-1700 effrayed, pre-1700 effrayit.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: affray v., -ed suffix¹.

Etymology: < affray v. + -ed suffix¹. Compare later 'fraid adj.²Now not normally associated with affray v., which is now archaic and rare. The (very rare) examples of β. forms from the 18th cent. onwards show archaizing spellings, by association with affray v. It is unlikely that frequency of α. forms can conversely be taken in itself as evidence of dissociation from affray v.: compare e.g. such pairs as pay and paid, lay and laid.

A. adj. Chiefly predicative.

1. Alarmed, frightened; in a state of fear or apprehension, moved or actuated by fear.

a. With of (also †for, †on) and noun phrase indicating the object of the fear.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > [adjective] > afraid of

afearedOE

afraidc1350

adoubteda1470

frightened1827

timid1833

nervous1848

the mind > emotion > fear > apprehension > [adjective] > frightened by an alarm

radc1175

frightfula1325

afraidc1350

affrighta1400

amazedc1405

affese1614

α.

c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 151 (MED) Of þet he hadde her ydo He was affrayde.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 4152 Þan was kniȝtis of þe case kenely affraid.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cccxciiij^v Wishing, that either nation with their forces ioyned together, might so stay them selues, that they should nead to be afraid of no man.

1563 A. Golding tr. Caesar Martiall Expl. in Gallia (1565) f. 213^v As..to torne hys jorney into Province, he thoght it behoved him not at ye time so to do..but inespecially for that he was sore afraid for Labienus.

1643 R. Baillie Satan 3 The beholders are justly afraid for a miscarriage in his young and inexperienced hand.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 117 I..of thy voice Affraid, being naked, hid my self.

1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 149 I was afraid on't at the very first.

1712 J. Oldmixon Secret Hist. Europe I. 198 I can't imagine why Ministers should be always so afraid of War.

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xviii. 82 I skimm'd my hat after him, to make him afraid for something.

1792 S. T. Coleridge Let. 18 Feb. (1956) I. 27 The poor fellow was afraid of Jack o' lantherns.

1855 C. Kingsley Lett. (1878) I. 442 He first taught me not to be afraid of truth.

1893 Davenport (Iowa) Tribune 29 Dec. I was so afraid of purse-snatchers.

1930 G. B. Shaw Apple Cart Interlude 57 Why are you so afraid of your wife? You are the laughing stock of London.

1966 tr. Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung xxvii. 258 ‘He who is not afraid of death by a thousand cuts dares to unhorse the emperor’—this is the indomitable spirit needed in our struggle to build socialism and communism.

2003 Daily Tel. 24 Jan. 10/7 Children who are afraid of the dark may be suffering from a rare condition called night blindness.

β. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2158 (MED) He þat of þe white beres so bremli was a-fraied.c1440 Sir Degrevant (Thornton) (1949) 283 (MED) He was na-thyng affrayede [Cambr. afreyd] Of þe fers knyght.1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lxii. 88 His wyf made semblaunt as she therof were affrayed.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xc[i]. 5 Thou shalt not nede to be afrayed for eny bugges by night.1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner To Rdrs. sig. Aa Such as are affrayed of roasted Pigge.1637 G. Gillespie Dispute against Eng.-Popish Ceremonies ii. i. 6 If Papists..were so affrayed of Conformists.1685 J. Canaries Serm. preacht at Selkirk 14 Not to be affrayed of owning it.1705 J. Hog Casuistical Ess. Lord's Prayer 57 To be affrayed of a total relinquishment.1751 James (the Pretender) Let. 19 Apr. in J. Browne Hist. Highlands (1843) IV. App. 80 Why should they be affrayed of me?

b. Without complement.

(a) In predicative use.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > [adjective]

affrightedOE

ofdreadOE

afearedOE

offearedlOE

radc1175

frightya1325

fearedc1330

fearfulc1374

afraidc1380

frayeda1400

wrotha1400

afearc1410

ghastful1422

fleyedc1425

afleyeda1500

a flighta1535

effrayed1553

flight-given?1611

hareda1618

frighted1647

affrightened1649

frighteneda1721

scared1725

intimidated1727

frightsome1827

scary1827

funked1831

fearing1837

funked out1859

fearsome1863

chickenshit1940

β.

c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2436 (MED) Al affraied, þay sterte al nakede til hure þar sche was.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 16 Þe kyng was alle affraied.

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Shipman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1871) l. 1590 This wyf was nat afered nor affrayed But boldely she seyde..I deffie the.

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 49 All yat was jn the citee was rycht affrayit.

a1525 G. Myll Spectakle of Luf in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 285 This gud ald knycht answerit all afrayet.

1584 T. Kennedy Let. May in R. V. Agnew Corr. P. Waus (1887) I. 286 In the meintyme my warding will mak thame affrayit.

1615 in J. R. N. Macphail Highland Papers (1920) III. 177 The cours..ȝour H. hes taikin..maiks all the Illanderis werrie afrayit.

a1678 W. Barton tr. in Six Cent. Select Hymns (1688) vi. 610 He shall not be affrayed Untill he see his Enemies dismayed.

1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lxiii. 8 With a snowy palm the woman took affrayed a taborine.

a1916 A. Seeger Broceliande in Poems (1917) 107 Sometimes an echo..Breathes in a burden of nameless regret till I startle, disturbed and affrayed.

α. a1500 Lancelot of Laik (1870) 3469 So sal thai fynd we ar no-thing affrayt.1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Niiij^v Earth dois tremble, mountains reikis, afraid.a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) ii. ii. 101 If Cæsar hide himselfe, shall they not whisper Loe Cæsar is affraid ? 1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Persian Wars ii. 54 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian The Roman army..were troubled and affraid.1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 759 Back they recoild affraid . 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xii. 493 What Man can do against them, not affraid . 1755 B. Franklin in Pennsylvania Gaz. 18 Dec. 2/2 Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead.1790 J. Hurdis Poems 205 Is this the man who made the Earth afraid, Shook thrones, and ruin'd kingdoms with his frown?1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park III. x. 201 It was somehow or other ascertained,..that they were not at all afraid . 1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. xi. 201 But that neither scene nor season favoured fear, I should have been superstitiously afraid.1864 R. Browning Dramatis Personæ (ed. 2) 77 Trust God: see all, nor be afraid!1915 T. S. Eliot in Poetry June 133 And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid.1948 A. Paton Cry, Beloved Country ii. viii. 171 He looked startled and afraid and he was trembling.2002 C. Slaughter Before Knife (2003) v. 90 There were days when I was jittery and afraid, out in the bush.

(b) attributive. Now chiefly colloquial.

ΚΠ

β.

1536 R. Taverner tr. P. Melanchthon Apol. sig. C.j^v, in Confessyon Fayth Germaynes The affrayed hartes can haue no rest.

1749 W. Melmoth Lett. by Sir Thomas Fitzosborne II. lxxxii. 221 Th'affrayed trembling wight.

1820 J. Keats Eve of St. Agnes in Lamia & Other Poems 99 Her blue affrayed eyes wide open shone.

α. 1841 J. Cobb Green Hand's First Cruise II. x. 191 Here objections were raised by the afraid population doubting whether he carried the needful about his person.1870 Routledge's Every Boy's Ann. 179 This was what the daring impostor read in the afraid and cringing looks of all about him.1912 J. W. Schultz With Indians in Rockies iv. 88 Take courage; don't be an afraid person.1954 W. J. Blake Understanding Americans 128 When I mention to Americans..why not try Canadian steamships, an afraid look appears.1996 R. C. Simons Boo! ii. 32 I am not an afraid person.

c. With infinitive: in fear of the consequences (to oneself) of doing something; not having courage to.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > [adjective] > afraid to

ashamed1382

afraid1523

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. f. c.lv^v/1 They who were afrayed to..for feare of theyr lyues.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Exod. iii. 6 Moses couered his face, for he was afrayed to loke vpon God [ Wyclif, He darst not loke aȝens God].

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. xxv. sig. Yy2 They were affraid euen to crie.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. i. 43 We are lesse afraid to be drownde, then thou art.

1669 F. Vernon Let. 5 Apr. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1968) V. 461 I was afraid to use inke, for feare of staining other peoples bands.

1685 G. Sinclair Satans Invisible World Discovered 79 They were no more afrayed to keep up the Clash with him, than to speak to one another.

1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 14 Sept. (1965) I. 269 To see me afraid to handle a Gun.

1734 A. Pope Epist. to Arbuthnot 203 Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike.

a1797 H. Walpole Walpoliana (1799) I. lxxi. 45 They hesitate, and wait for the public opinion... They are afraid to commit themselves by speaking out.

1812 Times 20 Jan. 3/1 The people were afraid to go to bed, as a general ransacking of the town has been promised.

1850 J. McCosh Method Divine Govt. (ed. 2) iv. ii. 497 Afraid to look upon the full purity of God.

1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 366 My tale is one which many a man would be afraid to tell.

1919 R. Lardner Real Dope iii. 79 I am afraid to go into the trenches.

1956 J. Baldwin Giovanni's Room ii. i. 114 Perhaps she has a Spanish lover and is afraid to tell you.

1993 J. Gray Men are from Mars vi. 107 She is afraid to rock the boat for fear that he might pull away, and so she withholds her true feelings.

2001 J. Franzen Corrections 457 The simple fact was that he was afraid to go home.

d. With subordinate clause.

(a) Introduced by that: with subjunctive (or its equivalent), indicating an unpleasant possibility; with indicative, indicating an unpleasant probability or contemplated reality.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > supposition, surmise > as I suppose [phrase]

methinkseOE

I weenc1175

afraid1530

I fancy1672

dare say1749

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 422/1 He was as a frayde as any man you sawe this twelve monethes that I wolde have gyven hym a blowe.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Macc. xii. 40 He was afrayed that Ionathas wolde not suffre him.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice (1623) i. ii. 42 I am much afraid [1600 afeard] my Ladie his mother plaid false.

?a1645 A. Stafford Just Apol. in Life Blessed Virgin (1860) p. xl I was affraide it would have infected my other Bookes.

a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Surrey 87 I am affraied that our Infidel Age will not give credit thereunto.

1774 D. Hume Let. 4 June (1932) II. 291 I should desire my compliments to him, were I not afraid that he would interpret the civility as paying blackmail to him.

1857 Ld. Dufferin Lett. from High Latitudes viii. 205 I began to be afraid that something must have gone wrong with the towing-gear.

1867 Princess Alice Mem. (1884) 170 I am so afraid they will be too rough with her.

1934 Mod. Psychologist June 5/1 He was afraid that he was suffering from a brain-tumor.

1953 R. Anderson Tea & Sympathy ii. ii. 134 He was afraid the others thought him a coward.

2005 B. Keating & S. Keating Blood Sisters (2006) xxiv. 470 Sarah was afraid that she had provoked a wild goose chase.

(b) Introduced by lest: with subjunctive (or its equivalent), indicating a deprecated contingency of which there is danger. Somewhat archaic.

ΚΠ

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Tobit vi. 14 I am afrayed lest soch thinges happen vnto me also. [1611 King James I am afraid, lest, if I goe in vnto her, I die.]

?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads xxi. 311 Afraid lest that gulf-stomach'd Flood would satiate his desire On great Achilles.

1759 S. Johnson Prince of Abissinia II. xlv. 141 But I am sometimes afraid lest I indulge my quiet by criminal negligence, and voluntarily forget the great charge with which I am intrusted.

1816 J. Wilson City of Plague iii. iv. 39 Perhaps thou art afraid Lest the night air may spoil its beauty.

1911 A. E. W. Mason in Scribner's Mag. Nov. 563/2 She was afraid lest they should remark the alteration in her looks, and set herself to counterfeit an air of gaiety.

1992 A. Thorpe Ulverton i. 16 The church whispered back my mumblings, and I was afraid lest someone might hear, and looked all about me.

e. With of and gerund.

(a) Equivalent to sense A. 1d(b).

ΚΠ

1654 F. G. tr. ‘G. de Scudéry’ Artamenes III. vi. ii. 95 He was so afraid of being known to be a Shepheard.

a1686 T. Watson Body Pract. Divinity (1692) 300 Methinks these words, The Lord will not hold him guiltless, may..make us afraid of speaking any thing that may redound Dishonour upon God.

1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. viii. 163 I was afraid of trampling on every Traveller I met.

1786 S. Henley tr. W. Beckford Arabian Tale 120 He was afraid of being snapped at by Shaban his tutor.

1855 D. Brewster Mem. Life I. Newton (new ed.) II. xxiv. 337 He was afraid of being known as the author of the work.

1989 B. Spock & M. Morgan Spock on Spock vi. 79 I have always been afraid of drowning.

2005 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 27 Aug. (BAM section) 5/2 Isn't she afraid of making prostitution sound like a glamorous career choice?

(b) Equivalent to sense A. 1c.

ΚΠ

1804 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) II. 1122 I am often afraid of giving way to my best feelings, lest they should appear as [etc.].

1881 Harper's Mag. Dec. 115/2 Men began to grow somewhat less afraid of venturing out upon the broad Atlantic—the ‘sea of darkness’, as people then used to call it.

1926 Nation 9 Jan. 517/2 She may have been afraid of asking to go out.

2005 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 13 July d3/2 Now, don't get me wrong, I am not afraid of working hard for good, healthy food.

2. With for. Concerned for, anxious about the well-being or safety of (a person or thing).

ΚΠ

1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus ii. i, in Pilgrimage to Parnassus (1886) 96 I am not afraide for my selfe, but I would not depriue the towne of so carefull a magistrate.

1663 C. Hoole tr. Terence Phormio i. iv, in Six Comedies 429 I am both affraid for my self, and Antipho troubleth my minde;..I am affraid for him.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 348 That [fight]..between Friday and the Bear, which gave us all (though at first we were..afraid for him) the greatest Diversion imaginable.

1754 W. Dodd Sisters I. iv. i. 7 You'll make yourself ill again; I am afraid for your health.

1827 Edinb. Rev. Mar. 427 I am afraid for the Church of Ireland, says our Alarmist.

1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat i. 14 I set my face against the sea trip. Not, as I explained, upon my own account... But I was afraid for George.

1900 G. Horton Like another Helen xxxviii. 335 Are you not afraid for their safety, over there in Canea?

1989 Independent 10 Nov. 3/7 I am afraid not merely for the Church of England, I am afraid for the country.

2004 Hoosier Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 10 Oct. (Herald-Times ed.) g3/1 I am supposed to be firmly in the Bush camp because he is tough on terrorism and I am afraid for my children.

3. colloquial. I am (also I'm) afraid: (with dependent clause or parenthetically) ‘I regret to say’; ‘I regretfully or apologetically admit, report, etc.’; ‘I suspect’; ‘I am inclined to think’.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) v. ii. 94 I am affraid sir, doe what you can..Yours will not be entreated.

a1678 H. Scougal Importance & Diffic. Ministerial Function in Wks. (1765) 240 This..was the humour of some in his days; and I am afraid the case is not much better in ours.

1709 J. Addison Let. 14 Dec. (1941) 197 I am afraid if this matter comes on it will be necessary to have Copys of the Office Books.

1740 T. Gray Let. 16 July in Corr. (1971) I. 168 Disagreeable enough (as most necessities are) but, I am afraid, unavoidable.

1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice I. x. 104 I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend it for you.

1853 E. C. Gaskell Cranford iii. 47 I did many a thing she did not like, I'm afraid—and now she's gone!

1911 F. Swinnerton Casement vi. 209 ‘I'm afraid,’ said he, rather stiffly, ‘that I don't know anything about his habits.’

1959 Observer 14 June 22/6 It would be less kind, but true, I am afraid, to find in this book a quite invincible taste for the mediocre.

2003 V. Blake Bloodless Shadow (2004) 7 I'm afraid I can't discuss my cases.

B. n.

With the and plural agreement: those who are afraid; afraid people as a class.

ΚΠ

1892 F. W. H. Myers St. Paul (new ed.) 28 In one fold the afraid and the forsaken.

1908 Sunset May 46/2 Poets and pioneers..strike out the trails; the faithful and the afraid stick to the narrow paths paved with conventions.

1961 M. Sandoz Love Song to Plains (1966) x. 267 It was so with earlier New England, the young heading westward, leaving the cautious, the set, the conservative, the afraid behind.

1983 R. Hattersley in G. Kaufman Renewal 126 The gulf has widened between..the confident and the afraid.

2004 G. G. Kay Last Light of Sun (2005) 351 A lifetime of experience. So many conversations with the bereaved and the afraid.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	afraid
释义	afraidadj.n. Brit. /əˈfreɪd/, U.S. /əˈfreɪd/ Forms: α. Middle English affred, Middle English afreyd, Middle English–1600s affraide, Middle English–1600s affrayde, Middle English–1600s afraide, Middle English–1600s afrayd, Middle English–1600s afrayde, Middle English–1700s affraid, Middle English– afraid, 1500s–1600s affrayd, 1500s–1600s afrade, 1600s afrai'd, 1800s afreed (U.S. regional), 1800s– afred (U.S. regional), 1900s– afread (English regional (Lincolnshire)); Scottish pre-1700 affraid, pre-1700 affrait, pre-1700 affrayd, pre-1700 affrayde, pre-1700 affrayt, pre-1700 affreyde, pre-1700 afrayt, pre-1700 effraid, pre-1700 effrait, pre-1700 effrayt, pre-1700 1700s– afraid, 1800s effrey't. β. Middle English affrayede, Middle English affrayet (north-west midlands, in a late copy), Middle English afrayet (north-west midlands), Middle English–1600s affraied, Middle English–1600s afraied, Middle English–1600s afrayed, Middle English–1700s (1800s– poetic) affrayed; also Scottish pre-1700 affrayed, pre-1700 affrayid, pre-1700 affrayit, pre-1700 affrayyt, pre-1700 afrayed, pre-1700 afrayet, pre-1700 afrayit, pre-1700 effrayed, pre-1700 effrayit. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: affray v., -ed suffix¹. Etymology: < affray v. + -ed suffix¹. Compare later 'fraid adj.²Now not normally associated with affray v., which is now archaic and rare. The (very rare) examples of β. forms from the 18th cent. onwards show archaizing spellings, by association with affray v. It is unlikely that frequency of α. forms can conversely be taken in itself as evidence of dissociation from affray v.: compare e.g. such pairs as pay and paid, lay and laid. A. adj. Chiefly predicative. 1. Alarmed, frightened; in a state of fear or apprehension, moved or actuated by fear. a. With of (also †for, †on) and noun phrase indicating the object of the fear. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > [adjective] > afraid of afearedOE afraidc1350 adoubteda1470 frightened1827 timid1833 nervous1848 the mind > emotion > fear > apprehension > [adjective] > frightened by an alarm radc1175 frightfula1325 afraidc1350 affrighta1400 amazedc1405 affese1614 α. c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 151 (MED) Of þet he hadde her ydo He was affrayde. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 4152 Þan was kniȝtis of þe case kenely affraid. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cccxciiij^v Wishing, that either nation with their forces ioyned together, might so stay them selues, that they should nead to be afraid of no man. 1563 A. Golding tr. Caesar Martiall Expl. in Gallia (1565) f. 213^v As..to torne hys jorney into Province, he thoght it behoved him not at ye time so to do..but inespecially for that he was sore afraid for Labienus. 1643 R. Baillie Satan 3 The beholders are justly afraid for a miscarriage in his young and inexperienced hand. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 117 I..of thy voice Affraid, being naked, hid my self. View more context for this quotation 1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 149 I was afraid on't at the very first. 1712 J. Oldmixon Secret Hist. Europe I. 198 I can't imagine why Ministers should be always so afraid of War. 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xviii. 82 I skimm'd my hat after him, to make him afraid for something. 1792 S. T. Coleridge Let. 18 Feb. (1956) I. 27 The poor fellow was afraid of Jack o' lantherns. 1855 C. Kingsley Lett. (1878) I. 442 He first taught me not to be afraid of truth. 1893 Davenport (Iowa) Tribune 29 Dec. I was so afraid of purse-snatchers. 1930 G. B. Shaw Apple Cart Interlude 57 Why are you so afraid of your wife? You are the laughing stock of London. 1966 tr. Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung xxvii. 258 ‘He who is not afraid of death by a thousand cuts dares to unhorse the emperor’—this is the indomitable spirit needed in our struggle to build socialism and communism. 2003 Daily Tel. 24 Jan. 10/7 Children who are afraid of the dark may be suffering from a rare condition called night blindness. β. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2158 (MED) He þat of þe white beres so bremli was a-fraied.c1440 Sir Degrevant (Thornton) (1949) 283 (MED) He was na-thyng affrayede [Cambr. afreyd] Of þe fers knyght.1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lxii. 88 His wyf made semblaunt as she therof were affrayed.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xc[i]. 5 Thou shalt not nede to be afrayed for eny bugges by night.1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner To Rdrs. sig. Aa Such as are affrayed of roasted Pigge.1637 G. Gillespie Dispute against Eng.-Popish Ceremonies ii. i. 6 If Papists..were so affrayed of Conformists.1685 J. Canaries Serm. preacht at Selkirk 14 Not to be affrayed of owning it.1705 J. Hog Casuistical Ess. Lord's Prayer 57 To be affrayed of a total relinquishment.1751 James (the Pretender) Let. 19 Apr. in J. Browne Hist. Highlands (1843) IV. App. 80 Why should they be affrayed of me? b. Without complement. (a) In predicative use. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > [adjective] affrightedOE ofdreadOE afearedOE offearedlOE radc1175 frightya1325 fearedc1330 fearfulc1374 afraidc1380 frayeda1400 wrotha1400 afearc1410 ghastful1422 fleyedc1425 afleyeda1500 a flighta1535 effrayed1553 flight-given?1611 hareda1618 frighted1647 affrightened1649 frighteneda1721 scared1725 intimidated1727 frightsome1827 scary1827 funked1831 fearing1837 funked out1859 fearsome1863 chickenshit1940 β. c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2436 (MED) Al affraied, þay sterte al nakede til hure þar sche was. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 16 Þe kyng was alle affraied. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Shipman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1871) l. 1590 This wyf was nat afered nor affrayed But boldely she seyde..I deffie the. c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 49 All yat was jn the citee was rycht affrayit. a1525 G. Myll Spectakle of Luf in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 285 This gud ald knycht answerit all afrayet. 1584 T. Kennedy Let. May in R. V. Agnew Corr. P. Waus (1887) I. 286 In the meintyme my warding will mak thame affrayit. 1615 in J. R. N. Macphail Highland Papers (1920) III. 177 The cours..ȝour H. hes taikin..maiks all the Illanderis werrie afrayit. a1678 W. Barton tr. in Six Cent. Select Hymns (1688) vi. 610 He shall not be affrayed Untill he see his Enemies dismayed. 1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lxiii. 8 With a snowy palm the woman took affrayed a taborine. a1916 A. Seeger Broceliande in Poems (1917) 107 Sometimes an echo..Breathes in a burden of nameless regret till I startle, disturbed and affrayed. α. a1500 Lancelot of Laik (1870) 3469 So sal thai fynd we ar no-thing affrayt.1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Niiij^v Earth dois tremble, mountains reikis, afraid.a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) ii. ii. 101 If Cæsar hide himselfe, shall they not whisper Loe Cæsar is affraid ? View more context for this quotation1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Persian Wars ii. 54 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian The Roman army..were troubled and affraid.1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 759 Back they recoild affraid . View more context for this quotation1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xii. 493 What Man can do against them, not affraid . View more context for this quotation1755 B. Franklin in Pennsylvania Gaz. 18 Dec. 2/2 Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead.1790 J. Hurdis Poems 205 Is this the man who made the Earth afraid, Shook thrones, and ruin'd kingdoms with his frown?1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park III. x. 201 It was somehow or other ascertained,..that they were not at all afraid . View more context for this quotation1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre I. xi. 201 But that neither scene nor season favoured fear, I should have been superstitiously afraid.1864 R. Browning Dramatis Personæ (ed. 2) 77 Trust God: see all, nor be afraid!1915 T. S. Eliot in Poetry June 133 And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid.1948 A. Paton Cry, Beloved Country ii. viii. 171 He looked startled and afraid and he was trembling.2002 C. Slaughter Before Knife (2003) v. 90 There were days when I was jittery and afraid, out in the bush. (b) attributive. Now chiefly colloquial. ΚΠ β. 1536 R. Taverner tr. P. Melanchthon Apol. sig. C.j^v, in Confessyon Fayth Germaynes The affrayed hartes can haue no rest. 1749 W. Melmoth Lett. by Sir Thomas Fitzosborne II. lxxxii. 221 Th'affrayed trembling wight. 1820 J. Keats Eve of St. Agnes in Lamia & Other Poems 99 Her blue affrayed eyes wide open shone. α. 1841 J. Cobb Green Hand's First Cruise II. x. 191 Here objections were raised by the afraid population doubting whether he carried the needful about his person.1870 Routledge's Every Boy's Ann. 179 This was what the daring impostor read in the afraid and cringing looks of all about him.1912 J. W. Schultz With Indians in Rockies iv. 88 Take courage; don't be an afraid person.1954 W. J. Blake Understanding Americans 128 When I mention to Americans..why not try Canadian steamships, an afraid look appears.1996 R. C. Simons Boo! ii. 32 I am not an afraid person. c. With infinitive: in fear of the consequences (to oneself) of doing something; not having courage to. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > [adjective] > afraid to ashamed1382 afraid1523 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. f. c.lv^v/1 They who were afrayed to..for feare of theyr lyues. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Exod. iii. 6 Moses couered his face, for he was afrayed to loke vpon God [ Wyclif, He darst not loke aȝens God]. a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. xxv. sig. Yy2 They were affraid euen to crie. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. i. 43 We are lesse afraid to be drownde, then thou art. View more context for this quotation 1669 F. Vernon Let. 5 Apr. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1968) V. 461 I was afraid to use inke, for feare of staining other peoples bands. 1685 G. Sinclair Satans Invisible World Discovered 79 They were no more afrayed to keep up the Clash with him, than to speak to one another. 1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 14 Sept. (1965) I. 269 To see me afraid to handle a Gun. 1734 A. Pope Epist. to Arbuthnot 203 Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike. a1797 H. Walpole Walpoliana (1799) I. lxxi. 45 They hesitate, and wait for the public opinion... They are afraid to commit themselves by speaking out. 1812 Times 20 Jan. 3/1 The people were afraid to go to bed, as a general ransacking of the town has been promised. 1850 J. McCosh Method Divine Govt. (ed. 2) iv. ii. 497 Afraid to look upon the full purity of God. 1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 366 My tale is one which many a man would be afraid to tell. 1919 R. Lardner Real Dope iii. 79 I am afraid to go into the trenches. 1956 J. Baldwin Giovanni's Room ii. i. 114 Perhaps she has a Spanish lover and is afraid to tell you. 1993 J. Gray Men are from Mars vi. 107 She is afraid to rock the boat for fear that he might pull away, and so she withholds her true feelings. 2001 J. Franzen Corrections 457 The simple fact was that he was afraid to go home. d. With subordinate clause. (a) Introduced by that: with subjunctive (or its equivalent), indicating an unpleasant possibility; with indicative, indicating an unpleasant probability or contemplated reality. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > supposition, surmise > as I suppose [phrase] methinkseOE I weenc1175 afraid1530 I fancy1672 dare say1749 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 422/1 He was as a frayde as any man you sawe this twelve monethes that I wolde have gyven hym a blowe. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Macc. xii. 40 He was afrayed that Ionathas wolde not suffre him. a1616 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice (1623) i. ii. 42 I am much afraid [1600 afeard] my Ladie his mother plaid false. ?a1645 A. Stafford Just Apol. in Life Blessed Virgin (1860) p. xl I was affraide it would have infected my other Bookes. a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Surrey 87 I am affraied that our Infidel Age will not give credit thereunto. 1774 D. Hume Let. 4 June (1932) II. 291 I should desire my compliments to him, were I not afraid that he would interpret the civility as paying blackmail to him. 1857 Ld. Dufferin Lett. from High Latitudes viii. 205 I began to be afraid that something must have gone wrong with the towing-gear. 1867 Princess Alice Mem. (1884) 170 I am so afraid they will be too rough with her. 1934 Mod. Psychologist June 5/1 He was afraid that he was suffering from a brain-tumor. 1953 R. Anderson Tea & Sympathy ii. ii. 134 He was afraid the others thought him a coward. 2005 B. Keating & S. Keating Blood Sisters (2006) xxiv. 470 Sarah was afraid that she had provoked a wild goose chase. (b) Introduced by lest: with subjunctive (or its equivalent), indicating a deprecated contingency of which there is danger. Somewhat archaic. ΚΠ 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Tobit vi. 14 I am afrayed lest soch thinges happen vnto me also. [1611 King James I am afraid, lest, if I goe in vnto her, I die.] ?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads xxi. 311 Afraid lest that gulf-stomach'd Flood would satiate his desire On great Achilles. 1759 S. Johnson Prince of Abissinia II. xlv. 141 But I am sometimes afraid lest I indulge my quiet by criminal negligence, and voluntarily forget the great charge with which I am intrusted. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague iii. iv. 39 Perhaps thou art afraid Lest the night air may spoil its beauty. 1911 A. E. W. Mason in Scribner's Mag. Nov. 563/2 She was afraid lest they should remark the alteration in her looks, and set herself to counterfeit an air of gaiety. 1992 A. Thorpe Ulverton i. 16 The church whispered back my mumblings, and I was afraid lest someone might hear, and looked all about me. e. With of and gerund. (a) Equivalent to sense A. 1d(b). ΚΠ 1654 F. G. tr. ‘G. de Scudéry’ Artamenes III. vi. ii. 95 He was so afraid of being known to be a Shepheard. a1686 T. Watson Body Pract. Divinity (1692) 300 Methinks these words, The Lord will not hold him guiltless, may..make us afraid of speaking any thing that may redound Dishonour upon God. 1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. viii. 163 I was afraid of trampling on every Traveller I met. 1786 S. Henley tr. W. Beckford Arabian Tale 120 He was afraid of being snapped at by Shaban his tutor. 1855 D. Brewster Mem. Life I. Newton (new ed.) II. xxiv. 337 He was afraid of being known as the author of the work. 1989 B. Spock & M. Morgan Spock on Spock vi. 79 I have always been afraid of drowning. 2005 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 27 Aug. (BAM section) 5/2 Isn't she afraid of making prostitution sound like a glamorous career choice? (b) Equivalent to sense A. 1c. ΚΠ 1804 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) II. 1122 I am often afraid of giving way to my best feelings, lest they should appear as [etc.]. 1881 Harper's Mag. Dec. 115/2 Men began to grow somewhat less afraid of venturing out upon the broad Atlantic—the ‘sea of darkness’, as people then used to call it. 1926 Nation 9 Jan. 517/2 She may have been afraid of asking to go out. 2005 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 13 July d3/2 Now, don't get me wrong, I am not afraid of working hard for good, healthy food. 2. With for. Concerned for, anxious about the well-being or safety of (a person or thing). ΚΠ 1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus ii. i, in Pilgrimage to Parnassus (1886) 96 I am not afraide for my selfe, but I would not depriue the towne of so carefull a magistrate. 1663 C. Hoole tr. Terence Phormio i. iv, in Six Comedies 429 I am both affraid for my self, and Antipho troubleth my minde;..I am affraid for him. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 348 That [fight]..between Friday and the Bear, which gave us all (though at first we were..afraid for him) the greatest Diversion imaginable. 1754 W. Dodd Sisters I. iv. i. 7 You'll make yourself ill again; I am afraid for your health. 1827 Edinb. Rev. Mar. 427 I am afraid for the Church of Ireland, says our Alarmist. 1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat i. 14 I set my face against the sea trip. Not, as I explained, upon my own account... But I was afraid for George. 1900 G. Horton Like another Helen xxxviii. 335 Are you not afraid for their safety, over there in Canea? 1989 Independent 10 Nov. 3/7 I am afraid not merely for the Church of England, I am afraid for the country. 2004 Hoosier Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 10 Oct. (Herald-Times ed.) g3/1 I am supposed to be firmly in the Bush camp because he is tough on terrorism and I am afraid for my children. 3. colloquial. I am (also I'm) afraid: (with dependent clause or parenthetically) ‘I regret to say’; ‘I regretfully or apologetically admit, report, etc.’; ‘I suspect’; ‘I am inclined to think’. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) v. ii. 94 I am affraid sir, doe what you can..Yours will not be entreated. a1678 H. Scougal Importance & Diffic. Ministerial Function in Wks. (1765) 240 This..was the humour of some in his days; and I am afraid the case is not much better in ours. 1709 J. Addison Let. 14 Dec. (1941) 197 I am afraid if this matter comes on it will be necessary to have Copys of the Office Books. 1740 T. Gray Let. 16 July in Corr. (1971) I. 168 Disagreeable enough (as most necessities are) but, I am afraid, unavoidable. 1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice I. x. 104 I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend it for you. View more context for this quotation 1853 E. C. Gaskell Cranford iii. 47 I did many a thing she did not like, I'm afraid—and now she's gone! 1911 F. Swinnerton Casement vi. 209 ‘I'm afraid,’ said he, rather stiffly, ‘that I don't know anything about his habits.’ 1959 Observer 14 June 22/6 It would be less kind, but true, I am afraid, to find in this book a quite invincible taste for the mediocre. 2003 V. Blake Bloodless Shadow (2004) 7 I'm afraid I can't discuss my cases. B. n. With the and plural agreement: those who are afraid; afraid people as a class. ΚΠ 1892 F. W. H. Myers St. Paul (new ed.) 28 In one fold the afraid and the forsaken. 1908 Sunset May 46/2 Poets and pioneers..strike out the trails; the faithful and the afraid stick to the narrow paths paved with conventions. 1961 M. Sandoz Love Song to Plains (1966) x. 267 It was so with earlier New England, the young heading westward, leaving the cautious, the set, the conservative, the afraid behind. 1983 R. Hattersley in G. Kaufman Renewal 126 The gulf has widened between..the confident and the afraid. 2004 G. G. Kay Last Light of Sun (2005) 351 A lifetime of experience. So many conversations with the bereaved and the afraid. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.n.c1350
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