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.

Correct usage of afraid

1. Afraid means ‘frightened’.
2. Afraid and fear.
3. Be afraid is more common than fear in an informal style.
4. Afraid of and afraid to.
5. I’m afraid = I’m sorry.
6. I’m afraid is a polite way of giving information that will not be welcome.
7. Not used before a noun.

afraid adjective (FEAR)

i am afraid in a sentence

1. I am afraid of doing something that would make me more wrinkled.
2. I am afraid that Russia is headed for a total military disaster.
3. I am afraid that most of the small farmers will go bankrupt.
4. I am afraid my obedience in that diocese would be absolutely zero.

The words apprehensive and fearful are common synonyms of afraid.

Idioms for being afraid, frightened

1. Heebie-jeebies. These unusual words are used to express a feeling of fear and being uncomfortable.
2. Make your blood run cold.
3. Jumped out of my sskinkin!
4. Heart missed a beat.
5. Scared out of my wits.
6. Scared the living daylights out of me!
7. Shook like a leaf.
8. Quaking in my boots.

used for politely telling someone something that might make them sad, disappointed, or angry, for example when you cannot do what they want or do not agree with them. Things haven’t been going very well here, I’m afraid.

SYNONYMS FOR afraid 1 scared, fearful, disquieted, apprehensive, timid, timorous.

When talking about an adjective describing something, we use the adjective scary. It’s a scary movie. When expressing regret and bad news in a diplomatic way we say, “I’m afraid.” Then, optionally we can add the word that. You might be afraid to speak English.

—used as a way of expressing one’s disappointment, regret, or sorrow Most of us worked very hard, but she, I’m afraid to say, did no work at all.

If you want to apologize to someone or to disagree with them in a polite way, you can say I’m afraid.

13 Things That Scare the Pants Off You

• 1 / 13. Roller Coasters. Our lives aren’t quite as exciting as they used to be — no more running from predators, for example.
• 2 / 13. Horror Movies.
• 3 / 13. Clowns.
• 4 / 13. Heights.
• 5 / 13. Flying.
• 6 / 13. Spiders.
• 7 / 13. Snakes.
• 8 / 13. Dentists.

Everyone is afraid of something. Whether these fears are rational or a product of some long-buried trauma can vary from person to person. Whatever the root cause, many people all over the world experience the same fear for various reasons.

According to surveys, some of the most common fears are of demons and ghosts, the existence of evil powers, cockroaches, spiders, snakes, heights, Trypophobia, water, enclosed spaces, tunnels, bridges, needles, social rejection, failure, examinations, and public speaking.

Learned fears Spiders, snakes, the dark – these are called natural fears, developed at a young age, influenced by our environment and culture.

Some of humanity’s most common fears are well known, like fear of heights or the dark. Others, however, are less talked-about, like the fear of speaking to strangers due to thoughts of what they might think of you. To free yourself of these fears, it’s not enough to change the channel or end the conversation.

There are many things people are fearful of, but here are the ten most common phobias:

• Pteromerhanophobia: fear of flying.
• Claustrophobia: fear of enclosed spaces.
• Entomophobia: fear of insects.
• Ophidiophobia: fear of snakes.
• Cynophobia: fear of dogs.
• Astraphobia: fear of storms.
• Trypanophobia: fear of needles.

(Note: There are five core fears, or “universal themes of loss,” that capture the basic interpretations of danger that we all make. They are 1) fear of abandonment, 2) loss of identity, 3) loss of meaning, 4) loss of purpose and 5) fear of death, including the fear of sickness and pain.)

If we’re born with an innate feeling of stress toward spiders and snakes, that doesn’t account for why some people grow up to have a crippling fear of these creatures while others keep them as pets. Not all studies have concluded that fear of spiders and snakes is innate.

We have two innate fears which are universal and are common to all humans regardless of the society or culture into which they were born and raised. And yet, every other fear we have is based on our own reaction to an experience in our lives and how we’re still being held back by that fear.

SM has an unusual genetic disorder called Urbach-Wiethe disease. In late childhood, this disease destroyed both sides of her amygdala, which is composed of two structures the shape and size of almonds, one on each side of the brain. Because of this brain damage, the woman knows no fear, the researchers found.

For a long time, the fear of falling was merely believed to be a result of the psychological trauma of a fall, also called “post-fall syndrome”. This syndrome was first mentioned in 1982 by Murphy and Isaacs, who noticed that after a fall, ambulatory persons developed intense fear and walking disorders.

Fear can be learned through direct experience with a threat, but it can also be learned via social means such as verbal warnings or observ-ing others. These findings demonstrate that the amygdala is in-volved in learning fear even without direct experience with the aversive event.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” “Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the LORD, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand.”

Fear is a natural, powerful, and primitive human emotion. It involves a universal biochemical response as well as a high individual emotional response. Fear alerts us to the presence of danger or the threat of harm, whether that danger is physical or psychological.

This includes the three basic types of fear: primal, irrational, and rational.